Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.

—Chinese Proverb

CHAPTER 15

Taking Action

Congratulations! You’re well on your way to a more tranquil, more serene you. Aren’t you excited? Now that you have all these new tools and insights, the journey to feeling healthier has begun. The first step was reading this book. Now the rest is up to you.

Here are my top tips for using what you have learned and how to keep moving forward:

• • Take action now. Don’t wait until tomorrow, or when you have a week off from work. Start today! Want to really push yourself? Write down goals you’d like to achieve every day, every week, and every month for a year. Plan to reach those targets.
• • Set practical goals and write them down. Cut back to one cup of coffee a day by the end of the month. Try to lose thirty pounds by next summer. Make a list of all the fresh, healthy produce you are going to buy at the farmers’ market this weekend.
• • Each morning when you wake up, remind yourself to keep your commitments. Keep an open mind and stay positive. Start your day with the attitude that you will succeed in not eating three doughnuts at the office today or that you will make the time to journal.
• • Find some friends or family members to go on this journey with you, but make sure they are as committed as you are to improving their lives. If they’re not truly ready, they might start to slack off. Their lack of dedication will make it all too tempting for you to go back to your old habits as well.
• • Share your goals with your loved ones, knowing that most of them will be supportive. Embrace those who cheer you on, but be wary of anyone who resists your change or thinks you are just going through a phase. Some resistance from friends and family is inevitable, but you need to forge on, knowing you are changing for the better. It’s not that the cynics don’t love you; they’re just used to the old you. If encouragement from family or friends isn’t an option, find it elsewhere, through a life coach, a twelve-step program, a support group, a therapist, or a new friend.
• • Keep in mind that there can be some bumps in the road. When you feel like giving up, don’t. Making lifestyle changes and letting go of old behaviors can be challenging. But the payoff is huge.
• • Be patient. Really letting go of old emotional garbage takes some time and effort. If you feel like you’re taking two steps forward and one step back for a while, keep going. Or if your progress isn’t happening fast enough for you, remind yourself that you’re on the right path and keep at it. If your life has been out of balance for several years, changes won’t happen overnight.
• • Write a list of accomplishments and things for which you are grateful. What you write doesn’t have to be earth-shattering: Found an easy parking space just now. Resisted stopping for a cheeseburger. I love my job. My neighbor offered to help take care of my animals while I go out of town this weekend. I slept an extra half hour last night. If you’re feeling low or stuck, take out this list. It’s important to remember how far you’ve come.
• • If you give in to cravings and indulge in a weekend of depravity, that’s OK. You’ve let off steam. Just get back on track and don’t give up. It will only make you feel worse if you beat yourself up. None of us are perfect. The longer you’re eating right, the less appealing sugar and processed foods will become.
• • Make a copy of the food lists in this book that apply to you and keep them with you. This way you’ll know what to order when you’re out to eat or for last-minute grocery shopping on the way home from work.
• • If you know a couple of people who’ve read this book, organize potlucks. You can share your recipes and why you used the ingredients you did. This might sound silly, but it’s actually a lot of fun.
• • Pick a half hour to an hour once a month to research new recipes that include your mood-supporting foods. Put this task in your calendar and follow through—no excuses. Your cooking repertoire will expand quickly.
• • Make menus for the week or month. Make a plan that you know you’ll stick to.
• • Be prepared for healthy snacking at home and at work. If you always have mood-supporting snacks on hand, then there’s no justification to cheat. Nuts, seeds, trail mix ingredients, and nut butters are available year-round. Also stock up on seasonal fruit, and prep carrot, celery, and bell pepper sticks at the beginning of the week. Have hummus and other dips in your office. With lots of healthy alternatives close at hand, you won’t be tempted (or at least not as much) to dig into the box of doughnuts in the break room or sample the candy in your kitchen cabinet.
• • Healthy meals don’t happen magically; they take planning. Make a large pot of soup, stew, or a casserole on Sunday night to last most of the workweek. Also cook up a batch of quinoa or rice and prewash your kale and other greens so you can just grab them out of the fridge and dig in. You’ll have ready-to-go meals, so when you’re too hungry, busy, or tired to think about washing and chopping, all you’ll have to do is reheat on your stovetop or in the oven.
• • Start a journal to keep track of your progress. It will help you observe how you’re feeling on a particular day and what foods made you feel better or worse. Note your mood when you wake up, after meals or snacks, and throughout the day. If you remember your dreams, keep track of any recurring themes. See if there’s any connection between the dreams and what you ate that day.
• • Find a licensed acupuncturist in your area. It’s best to do this by referral. Ask friends, neighbors, and coworkers whom they recommend. If the first person you go to doesn’t feel like a good fit, try someone new. Make sure they have experience treating mental health. Many acupuncturists specialize, just like MDs, and some might only treat pain, digestion, or gynecological issues. The right fit is important for getting the best results, especially when it comes to emotional release treatments.
• • Alternate weeks, adding a healthy item to your diet one week and taking an unhealthy one out the next. You know your limits. Push yourself to improve, but not to the point of wanting to give up. If I can go from being addicted to SpaghettiOs, bacon, cheese, and ice cream to craving kale salad and beet juice, so can you.
• • Let yourself have a treat once every week or two for all the hard work and the progress you’re making. By treat, I mean get a massage or a mani/pedi, take a hike in the middle of the week, go to your favorite museum, or take a day trip. You definitely deserve it.
• • Get to know the vendors at your farmers’ market. They’ll start to know what you like and make suggestions, and they can help you pick out the best they have to offer.
• • Make sure your kitchen is set up to help you reach your goals. Get rid of all edibles in your cupboards that aren’t part of your eating plan or beneficial to your progress. Restock your kitchen with items that will contribute to your health and healing process.
• • Invest in a quality juicer and/or blender. If finances are tight, you can usually find refurbished ones online. Just think of all the money you’ll save by not buying Starbucks every day. Commit to juicing every morning.
• • Buy your legumes, nuts, and seeds in bulk. Make sure you have enough airtight glass containers. You can even use old pickle and peanut butter jars for storage.

While adjusting to this new way of living and eating, make sure to emphasize abundance over deprivation. Health-promoting food is delicious, and it can be rich, flavorful, creamy, and decadent. Just think how lucky you are to have this opportunity to feel better. You get to start over. If you feel you are depriving yourself, you will find it much harder to change your diet and lifestyle.

Now that you have all these great new tools and insights into your health, it’s time to make changes. I can’t stress this enough. Take advantage of this opportunity and make the time to heal and look inward. You may dredge up some pretty painful feelings and memories. Be gentle with yourself. As you start to feel better, you’ll be invigorated and energized.

I hope my patients’ stories have inspired you as much as they’ve inspired me.

Live natural. Live well.