Fascia 101: Unlock your body’s superpower…Once upon a time, I was an actual nurse. Trained and worked at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in the days when nurses’ residences were a thing and stripes on your shoulder determined your seniority. It was an incredible time—learning life’s lessons, forging friendships (which you relied on to get through your day), being thrown into the deep end (a lot!), and seeing first-hand the fragility of life and the preciousness of well-being.
That time in my life was hugely influential on the work I do today. It opened my eyes to how centralised healthcare can be corrupt and often fails to prioritise actual healing. After years working in hectic surgical wards, emergency, oncology, chemotherapy day centres, and rehab, I realised many things but here’s just one: hospitals are not designed for true healing. They lack sunlight, fresh air, peaceful sleep, and real food—all essential ingredients for recovery.
Florence Nightingale’s Message For Us Today
Florence Nightingale was more than just the founder of modern nursing—she was a visionary who understood the fundamentals of healing long before modern medicine caught up. In 1859, she published Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not, a book meant not for professional nurses, but for everyday people caring for their loved ones at home. She believed that nursing was not just a job—it was a basic human responsibility. Her goal was simple: to empower people with the knowledge to create environments that prevent illness and foster healing.
One of the most powerful messages in Florence’s book is that we are all nurses. Whether caring for your sick child, supporting an aging parent, or helping a friend recover from surgery, we all play a role in the health of those around us. Nursing isn’t just about hospitals—it’s about life.
So what can we learn from Florence’s work today? Here are 10 essential lessons from Notes on Nursing that can empower you to take control of your own well-being and that of your loved ones:
1. Fresh Air Matters More Than You Think
“Keep the air he breathes as pure as the external air, without chilling him.” Stagnant air breeds illness, while fresh air can help ward off disease and aid recovery.
Open your doors and windows daily – even when it is raining. Letting the fresh air, and sunlight in, is powerful and cleansing. If someone is unwell, make sure their room has a steady flow of fresh air as Florence believed nothing was more harmful than a dark, musty room to their physical and mental health. Simple, yet powerful.
2. Sunlight Was Once a Medical Treatment—Why Not Now?
“It is the unqualified result of all my experience that second only to their need of fresh air is their need of light.” Nightingale advocated for sunlight exposure as a critical part of healing. Hospitals once prioritised it—just look at old tuberculosis sanatoriums, where entire wards were built with balconies to wheel patients into the sun.
Image from: X @RogerSeheult
And yet today? We shut people away in artificial lighting. We now know sunlight boosts immunity, improves mood, and regulates sleep. Bring this practice back: get outside first thing in the morning, sit in a sun patch during the day, and ensure your home lets in natural light.
3. A Clean Space is a Healing Space
Florence demonstrated that poor sanitation was often the biggest cause of death. But cleanliness isn’t just about scrubbing surfaces—it’s about maintaining an environment where illness struggles to take hold.
Keep your living space fresh and uncluttered. Swap chemical-laden cleaning products for natural alternatives. Good hygiene doesn’t mean sterile—it means balance.
4. Restorative Sleep is Non-Negotiable
“The amount of sleep required by each individual varies; but long sleep is nature’s way of bringing about a cure.” Healing happens during deep, uninterrupted sleep.
Prioritise sleep hygiene. Ditch the screens before bed, make your room as dark as possible (pitch black is ideal), and establish an evening wind-down ritual. If someone in your care is unwell, make sure they have a quiet, restful place to sleep.
5. Pay Attention to the Body’s Signals
“What you want are facts, not opinions.” Observing small changes in someone’s condition can make all the difference.
Florence was an advocate for her patients. She believed rather than asking the medical profession “how is someone doing?”, we need to ask the person themselves as after all, it’s their opinion that matters most.
For us and those we love, we need to tune in to our body. Notice shifts in energy, digestion, and mood. If you’re caring for someone, take mental notes on their appetite, sleep, and demeanor—these details all matter.
6. Food is Medicine—Before Medicine
Nightingale questioned why doctors rushed to prescribe drugs while ignoring the power of food and rest. She believed in simple, nourishing meals to aid healing.
Prioritise real, unprocessed food. If someone is ill, focus on light, digestible meals—bone broths, chicken soup, herbal teas, and warm soups. The body heals best when it’s given what it actually needs.
7. Silence Heals
“Unnecessary noise, or noise that creates an expectation in the mind, is that which hurts a patient.” Noise is stressful, and stress impairs healing.
Modern life is loud—TVs, notifications, socials, endless chatter. Try and create intentional quiet moments when you, or someone you’re looking after, are completely switched off. Turn off the LED lights, turn off distractions, and let the nervous system reset.
8. Your Emotional State Affects Your Health
Florence understood that healing isn’t just physical—it’s deeply connected to our emotional well-being. Stress, anxiety, and loneliness, they all take a toll on our mind, body and soul.
Prioritise making time for real human connections, practicing gratitude, and relaxation. Take breaks, laugh, and surround yourself with those people who uplift you most. If you’re caring for someone, remember—your energy impacts their recovery too.
9. The Body is Meant to Move
She noticed that bedridden patients fared worse than those who moved, even minimally. Circulation, muscle function, and overall recovery depend on movement.
Move daily, even in small ways. Stretch, walk, take deep breaths. If someone is unwell, encourage small movements to keep their body engaged in the healing process.
Here’s an amusing blast from the past of patients doing their exercise.
Image from: X @RogerSeheult
10. Health is Our Responsibility
“Every woman, or at least almost every woman, in England has, at one time or another of her life, charge of the personal health of somebody.” She knew that doctors and hospitals are not the gatekeepers of our health—we are.
Unstoppables is all about helping you become your own health boss. We all need to take ownership of our wellbeing and that of our family.
Although life is super busy and hectic, we need to make time to research, learn, question, and seek answers beyond the mainstream message. There is so much wisdom we can learn from the past. We should stop ignoring those vital lessons, stop outsourcing our health to others that may not have our best interest at heart and stop believing modern medicine has all the answers.
Trust your intuition as your health is yours to care for.
We Should Do This Again
Looking at the images of old sanatoriums, where fresh air and sunlight were part of the treatment plan, it’s impossible not to wonder: why did we abandon these practices? Was it forgotten, or was it intentionally removed in favour of pharmaceuticals and artificial environments? Whatever the case, we can reclaim these methods.
Start today and start small. Open your window, enjoy your breakfast or lunch outside, prioritise sleep, move and nurture your body with real food. Healing isn’t complicated—it’s foundational. Florence knew this, and we can bring it back.
We are all nurses in one way or another. Let’s honour her legacy by bringing these principles into our own lives and the lives of those we care for.
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