The Compound Effect of Bad Choices (My Summer Experiment)
A white round table is in the middle of a blossoming garden. Five women wearing elegant styles of an outfit are gathered around the table, enjoying their English-style tea moment. There is a promise that one lady has given to herself. If she only had the power to resist the temptation this time. One of the women passes a plate of cookies. It’s her turn to make a decision. She’s staring at those cookies for too many seconds, and it becomes deadly silent. Everyone is looking at her now, and the pressure from other women becomes too heavy. She takes a cookie, and this one wrong choice will be the beginning that leads to the end of her marriage.
Importance of routines
There are specific eating, training, and sleeping habits that I have maintained and modified to fit me for a long time. So when I started my spiritual summer retreat, I decided to go a bit wild and do a little experiment. What would happen if I gave up my strict routines and lived like everyone else for a week?
Some people think I cannot enjoy my life because I’m too demanding on myself, and I should lose a bit. But, on the contrary, this style of living has given me ultimate strength, health, and happiness all these years.
When I gave up my routines, I started to see changes immediately, and I knew that if I kept going on like this, my life would become like a snowball effect and spread the influence of my unhealthy choices in all areas.
Importance of a Healthy Diet.
Typically my diet is strict. I eat clean and healthy food. My weekly meals are simple and well planned to gain all nutrients that I need. This way, my daily routines are easy, and I never feel tempted to have unhealthy options.
It felt strange to fill out my basket with popular summery foods such as sausage, herring, and some other processed choices. I continued to the snack shelf, choosing chips and various sweets. I felt like a fallen angel when I put all my groceries on a shopping belt.
In the evening, when I had already eaten my cheat meal, I decided to have an afterward snack. I enjoyed chips and all kinds of chocolate delicacies, flushing it all down with one beer. I repeated this the next day.
When the third day came, I felt myself craving something sugary already right after my lunch. From that moment, I knew that I had started to become addicted. It became too easy to have that afterward snack in the evening, and eating unhealthy options began to take control.
Importance of Mindfulness
Every morning I start my days with gratitude and movement. Morning sets the positive tone for my day. However, during this experiment week, my routines changed when I visited my relatives. Now everything from my eating habits to spirituality was different.
I had given my little finger to the devil, and now it wanted it all. Seeing my relatives were, of course, a happy experience. However, being fully socialized as an introvert, living other people’s schedules with late nights, and eating whatever I wanted to have, had their influence.
From the beginning of my unhealthy eating, I had already noticed changes in my skin. However, this was not the only thing; there were also mental signs now which revealed to me that everything was not all right.
I felt like I had lost the peace inside myself, and experiencing one setback felt significant compared to how I traditionally feel about difficulties. I knew that I needed to take back control. When I decided and return to my diet and early morning routines, I felt relief because I knew everything would be alright.
The brutal truth is revealed by looking at the mirror and talking to yourself. You are what you eat and what you feed your mind with. You cannot escape anywhere from the impact that your daily choices have. What do you see? What is your decision? Are you ready to take control back over your own life?
With love,
Jenna
Founder of Thejennablog, Author of ‘The Scammer’s Trap’
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