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What a difference two years makes.

The picture on the left-hand side came up in photo memories from August 2024. I couldn’t believe it was me, and yet the evidence was in the photo memory.

I had to take a photo in August 2026. The right-hand side image. Me after stretch class had finished. The evidence that I had changed on the outside. However, the outside change was merely a reflection of the change on the inside.

Many of us focus on the outside. We buy expensive creams to hide our wrinkles, and firm up our skin. We cover up with clothes hiding what we really look like on the outside. I wore a sweater that was a little big, so it didn’t cling to my body.

Real change happens inside. By taking care of our brain, which takes place by focusing on four domains/circles:

1. Taking care of our bodies. What we eat, what we drink, how we sleep, how we move, what we put on our skin (what goes on the outside goes inside), and what we put in our bodies. In brain health we call this the Biological Domain/Circle.
2. Taking care of our mind. Not agreeing with every stupid thought. Being able to control our negative thoughts. Creating new pathways in our brain (known as neuroplasticity.) In brain health we call this the Psychological Domain/circle.
3. Being connected. We are not meant to be alone. We were made for connection. That’s why it’s important to be around people, not just sitting in a coffee shop alone, although this is a great start if you have been isolated. Join a book club, a bible study, any type of group that matches your interest. Volunteer. I volunteer with cats. In brain health we call this the Social Domain/Circle.
4. Knowing your purpose. What is your reason for living? What is your why? I assert that 99.9% of people believe in some sort of higher power. Mine is Jesus. Yours may be something else. We believe there is more to life than us. I finally learned my reason for living, my why is my family. My husband, Daughter, Son-in-Law, and two wonderful granddaughters. My passion, to change the conversation to brain health from mental health. For people with a mental illness to receive the compassion as people with physical illness. To end the stigma. In brain health we call this the Spiritual Domain/Circle.

Is this easy? No. Nothing worth having is ever easy. Can you do it all at once? No. I had to start with baby steps. Firstly, this looked simply like getting out of bed and walking to the living area and staying in there all day. Slowly building up to taking a five-minute walk outside. Then a ten-minute walk. Creating habits that built on one another. I couldn’t change everything at once. I had to focus on one thing at a time. This is known as habit stacking.

My brain changed. See the pictures below. By undergoing a brain SPECT imaging at Amen Clinics in Fort Lauderdale/Miami Florida in 2022, a diamond pattern was revealed. This is evidence on the inside of emotional trauma (which I have had plenty of in my life), also known as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) that shows up on the outside as Major Depressive Disorder.

In 2026, I wanted evidence that my brain had changed. I didn’t have the evidence, although my lifestyle and thoughts had changed. If I was to be a credible Brain Health Warrior, I needed to show the evidence. My 2026 SPECT scan revealed my brain had changed. No more diamonds.

I have evidence that by changing brain health habits it changed me on the outside and more importantly on the inside.

What have you been doing in the four domains/circles of brain health to change from the inside out?