The only thing you truly need to do today to help your fellow human and all the creatures on this Earth is to use the most powerful gift nature gave you: your brain. Start with a deep breath. Breathe through your nose slowly and steadily. That breath delivers the most essential fuel for your brain, which is oxygen. Let it calm you and activate the rational part of your mind. This helps shift you out of fight or flight, which is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system.
Learn everything you can about your nervous system because it governs how you think, feel, and behave. Then study the endocrine system, which produces the hormones that flow through your body. These two systems together shape your emotional state, your mental clarity, and your actions. If you focus on breathing and improving your overall chemistry, you are already on the right path.
Ask yourself honestly: does my chemistry improve when I hike in the woods and breathe fresh air? What happens when I sit still in a noisy city all day? Does my chemistry benefit from eating a heavy meal at night? From drinking coffee? From chronic worry or negative thinking?
It can feel like we have no control over these things. And in truth, some people never gain that control. Mental illness is real. Some forms are deeply rooted and difficult to treat. Add a lack of willingness to self-reflect, and it becomes even harder. But that is not you. That is not me. We are willing. We are curious. We are choosing to learn, to grow, and to apply effort toward a better life.
It will still be hard. But we can do it. We can help ourselves.
One critical step is understanding what this body actually needs. By the time we are fully grown, we need far less protein than we think. Yet we are addicted to it because it is satisfying, stimulating, and we have been told since childhood that we cannot live without it. Animal protein tastes good and feels powerful. But so do many things that are not necessary.
You can get plenty of protein from plants. The obsession with animal protein is more about programming than biology. Yes, you can build muscle with it. But you can also build strong muscle with a plant based diet. You might not get as bulky, but you will avoid many of the health risks that come from consuming large amounts of animal protein. High protein diets may help grow muscle, but they can burden your organs, disrupt your hormones, and affect your nervous system. There are no freebies in human chemistry. Every extreme has a cost.
For every poor habit, there is a reaction in the body. For every positive change, there is a reward. So start small. Drink fresh juice. Eat more vegetables. Eat fruit. Eliminate processed foods. Reduce or remove animal protein. Do not drink milk from another species. Human milk is for human babies. Cow milk is not for adult humans. It is marketing. Not biology.
Yes, in the past, people thrived on simpler diets. Nordic farmers in the 1800s lived on unprocessed foods, breathed clean air, and worked hard outdoors. But times have changed. Today we face chronic stress, constant noise, and endless distractions. We are more domesticated than ever. We get less sun, less fresh air, and we have less connection to the natural world. We do not hear birds in the morning or watch sunsets regularly. Our food is compromised. Our air is polluted.
But do not despair.
The human body is resilient. It can filter toxins. It can adapt. But only to a point. Do not use resilience as an excuse to poison yourself. Some people are more sensitive. Some bodies cannot handle much toxicity at all. So keep your inner environment clean. Keep learning. Keep paying attention.
You are responsible for the way you feel. And with enough awareness, you can change it. Keep exploring. Keep going.