Baby Steps Into the Unknown

Whenever we are anxious, our instinct is to stay put. Although this is comforting, it does cut us off from opportunities to grow and improve our circumstances. In his upcoming book, Change Your Brain...Change Your Body, Dr. Daniel Amen provides a few tips that will help us set change in motion.

The following baby steps are either low-cost or no-cost and are designed to have a domino effect on our lives.

• Buy or borrow a magazine that you don't usually read but interests you.

• Ask a friend or relative with very different tastes if you could borrow his/her favourite book.

• When renting or borrowing a DVD, browse through a section you normally pass over (science fiction, foreign films, documentaries).

• Use familiar food in a different way. Consider adding slices of peeled oranges or other fruits to your usual salad. Substitute chicken broth for milk in your favourite mashed potato recipe.

• Buy an unfamiliar food like daikon, quinoa, or bresaola. Then, find a recipe and make a meal using it.

• Sleep on the opposite side of the bed. You will have a different perspective when you wake up in the morning.

• Reconnect with a friend you haven't seen for awhile.

• Rearrange the furniture in one room of your home.
  

• Think back to a favourite hangout or activity from your high school or university days. Revisit the place or activity and watch your mindset change.