New seasons require new sacrifices.
Unless you have served it is hard to say you understand what these heroes went through. Service-related injuries like burns, being stabbed, shot, explosions causing them physical pain. Then there is the emotional and psychological pain they suffer through having lost a brother or sister during combat, survivors’ guilt, feelings of neglect and abandonment. They have been left to their own thoughts and ways to cope once released from duty.
Therefore, I have set out to assist veterans who are struggling to find purpose in life. Simple things like cleaning their home, praying with them, teaching them healthy habits, and that they are appreciated. In service I provide them resources tailored to their individual needs, and tools to grow healthy habits. I take very dark, painful environments and shed a little light in them.
With the veterans I assist getting things in order in their home. The reason I begin with this step is to create a safe, clean environment for them to focus on more important things. This means organization in the cabinets, closets, shelves. Everything has a home. I simplify the space for them. Color coordinate and minimize the clutter. This then makes the space more orderly for them to have to make less choices. Typically, a cluttered home indicates clutter in the mind.
First, I must build trust, asking the vision of how they would like to see their home. If they intend on participating or prefer hands off. I find out more about their history, and current situations with relationships, work, and friends. I find out a medical history, pain, diagnosis if they will share, time in service, trauma. I probe about their health and fitness. This tells me if they already have a foundation of care.
As I am working in their home, I am also getting to know the patient better. Their likes, dislikes, their coping habits, social behaviors. This allows me a very intimate look into the life of the veteran. How they interact, the amount they contribute, how they behave shows me psychologically what else we can do to help. It shows me what is in their kitchen to make corrections or suggestions to diet also.
The things I encourage as I am working in the home is prayer and fasting. Breaking bondage with Jesus is a lot easier than doing it alone. I share my testimony and the things I overcame. It helps me build trust and a repour with the individual.
After I have offered the service of care to the home we then focus on the patient. Reviewing my evaluation. Teaching them what is relative to their case. Then offering them guidance towards a healthier future, and resources within the VA.
Sometimes I find the individual was lonely, or depressed. We then talk about ways to address it with food, supplements, small group connections. Discussing healthy relationship building. Usually, the veteran is only in need of someone to talk to, someone to relate to. So by being there and offering a service not usually provided offers me a close connection. This then allows me to help implement change.
Things I encourage when one is about to make a lifestyle transition. Sometimes it is the little things, simple things we can implement that make such a difference.
- Clean your room
- Make your bed
- Morning prayer devotion
- Get to the gym
- Sunshine and fresh air
- Call a friend or family member
The 21-day trial is based on the age-old belief that it takes 21 days to fully form a new habit.
This is a self-initiated program where you stick to a certain habit for 21 days, every day. While it can be used to cultivate new habits, you can use it to test out any new activity, such as waking up early, quitting caffeine, sticking to a new diet, making new friends, meditating on the word of God, going to bed early, doing an act of kindness, etc.
The 21-day trial is not limited to good habits — you can use it to break bad habits. Do you have any bad habits, such as spending too much time on social media, quitting porn, putting off work to the last minute, binge eating, sleeping late, smoking, or biting your nails?
Low commitment
Many people procrastinate on developing certain habits, even though these are good habits that will bring significant benefits into their lives. That’s because they are overwhelmed by the thought of doing an activity for life.
When you do a 21-day habit trial, the task becomes much more manageable. 21 days is just 3 weeks — much shorter than the rest of your life. It’s easy to channel your efforts and make something happen for just 21 days vs. forever.
Effective way to build good habits
Many people have a laundry list of good habits to cultivate, such as exercising, going to work on time, and cutting down unhealthy food. While they make a mental note to work on them, they never get around to doing that because of different reasons.
Rather than waste time in the “want-to-do” phase which happens to many, the 21-day trial is a great way to quickly try and build these good habits.
Spend a day or two to mentally prepare yourself before the trial
Mentally prepare yourself for the 21 days ahead to set you in the right mood for success. During this time, you can either (1) pick up the activity in a small way, to create a momentum, or (2) do the opposite of 0what you need to do to create a propelling force.
For example, before I went on a raw vegan trial, I spent the evening before eating whatever cooked food I had some craving for. This was to kill off the last remnants of attachment I had with cooked food so that I could embark on the trial without any distraction. It worked out great.
Track your progress for the 21 days
Chart the 21 days on a large piece of paper on your wall, a whiteboard, or somewhere where you can see it. This needs to be in a place that is constantly in your line of vision so that you are always reminded to stick to the trial. When you successfully finish a day, cross it out on your chart. This creates instant gratification for your hard work and pushes you to do the same for the next day.
List your trial goals for the 21 days like
- Quitting soda drinks
- Waking up early (5am)
- Trying out a vegetarian diet
- Trying out a vegan diet
- Trying out a raw vegan diet
- Cutting mass media out of my life
- Checking emails only once a day
- Doing a 21-day fast
- Exercising for 21 days
List your habits.
The average American diet is loaded with added and hidden sugars, unhealthy trans fats, nutritionally void processed foods, and immense portion sizes. Cleanse diets are prevalent.
Environmental toxins are an increasing concern- but what about the toxins patients ingest? In the US we allow over 10,000 chemical additives in our food supply. The average person consumes 14 pounds of additive and 150 pounds of sugar per year.
How you can help. Encourage your patients to choose nontoxic product alternatives and to increase the body’s ability to work more efficiently by performing a whole-body detoxification at least once a year.
Why is toxin release so important? Naturally occurring toxins that build up in the body can adversely impact one’s health and well-being. Patients who go through purification program report-
- Increased energy
- Better digestion
- Decreased caffeine and food cravings
- Improved weight management
- Clearer skin
- Clearer thinking
- Better management of toxin load in body
- Shinier hair
- Better sleep
The 21 day program is designed to purify, nourish, and help patients maintain a healthy body weight by eating whole foods, exercising, drinking nutritious shakes, and taking supplements made with whole food ingredients.
The menu includes a varied abundance of vegetables and fruits for the first 10 days with selective proteins added on day 11. The supplements support the body’s ability to remove naturally occurring toxins.
Gut microbes evolved to tap into the nervous system
The study doesn’t suggest that poor gut health causes depression, rather mental health issues can have serious effects on digestive and gut health. However, in follow up studies the researchers have discovered that gut microbes have some ability to talk to the human nervous system by producing neurotransmitters that are crucial for good mental health.
Raes said their initial findings show that gut bacteria can produce the precursors for substances like dopamine and serotonin. Both of these chemicals have critical roles to play in the brain and imbalances of ether have previously been linked to depression.
Interestingly microbes that live outside of the body do not have the same ability to produce neurotransmitters.
New Levels
Gym Consistency
Whole Food Diet
No FAP
No games
Read
Pray
Find a trade
Stop watching uneducated TV
Delete Social Dating Apps
Sacrifice
Incorporate sunlight, natural food, supplements, feel energized.
Better version of self requires energy
Don’t focus on a female or male. focus on self-improvement, focus on Jesus
No alcohol, no drugs, No chasing
What is your purpose?
Job, business?
Build your brand or business.
No porn
draining energy/ guilt/shame No fapp+ dopamine rush
Chasing that and feeling void
Stumbling blocks
