Actively seek out help and information, looking beyond conventional medicine if necessary, and become the primary agent in your own healing journey to find the right support and answers.
Become conscious of your unconscious patterns and emotional dynamics, as this awareness is crucial to liberating yourself from ingrained behaviors and positively impacting your physiology.
Focus on making fundamental life changes and healing underlying childhood wounds, rather than just superficial lifestyle adjustments, because true behavioral changes will automatically follow from this deeper work.
Treat yourself with compassion and avoid self-blame for your choices, understanding that many behaviors, including addictive ones, are often protective mechanisms.
Make time to see friends in real life, not just digitally, as genuine human connection is a necessity for health and well-being, not a luxury.
Actively schedule dates in your diary to meet friends in real life, even if it’s weeks away, to foster genuine connection and combat loneliness.
Shift your understanding of addiction by asking “why the pain?” instead of “why the addiction?”, to uncover the deeper emotional distress behind addictive behaviors.
Look into your childhood experiences for sources of hurt, whether from negative events or unmet needs, as these are often the root cause of addictive behaviors and other life difficulties.
View physical symptoms, such as high blood pressure, as signals from your body indicating too much tension or stress in your life, prompting you to take action to address it.
Seek therapy regularly to process emotional baggage and understand deeper layers of your self, which can lead to significant behavioral changes and a greater sense of freedom.
Recognize that much of what is considered your personality is actually a defensive structure developed to cope with pain, and stripping away these defenses can lead to a more balanced and happier life.
Consider engaging with Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy to understand and befriend different internal parts of yourself, addressing the underlying needs that drive behaviors with compassion.
Recognize and actively promote your body’s tremendous innate healing capacity, as this can facilitate recovery and help overcome illnesses beyond typical medical prognoses.
Apply the broader definition of addiction—any behavior providing temporary pleasure/relief, craved, with long-term negative consequences, and an inability to give it up—to your own behaviors to identify unrecognized patterns.
Read Dr. Chatterjee’s book, “The Stress Solution,” to identify sources of stress in your life and gain practical strategies to lower stress levels for a happier, calmer existence.
Read Dr. Chatterjee’s book, “The Four Pillar Plan,” to learn simple and accessible strategies for making lifestyle changes that can transform your health.
Check out Dr. Gabor Maté’s books and YouTube talks to gain self-knowledge and a deeper understanding of addiction, trauma, and human behavior.
If you’re feeling tired, access Dr. Chatterjee’s free six-part video series on energy at drchastity.com/energy to learn how to boost your vitality.
Consider taking a super tasty greens powder each morning, such as Athletic Greens, as an insurance policy to help meet your nutritional needs.
Share this podcast episode with friends, family, or colleagues who you believe might benefit from its insights on addiction, trauma, and human connection.
For those who prefer visual content, watch the full video recording of this conversation on Dr. Chatterjee’s YouTube channel.