I have a lot of experience under my belt when it comes to exploring the mind and body. I've done numerous interesting detoxes where I excluded all kinds of unhealthy food and drinks from my diet and added disgusting green powders and seaweed drops that were supposed to be good for you.
To help me cope with stress I've taken lots of vitamins, amino acids and minerals. I've had periods when I took at least 10 different supplements per day. I'm pretty sure that my doctor wouldn't recommend the homemade combination of pills I managed to digest every day.
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I've also done lots of personal and professional development courses and seminars. Some of them I thoroughly enjoyed, and I found new friends when attending many of them. But the long-term effects of these kinds of activities faded away and I was back to good old me again.
There are hundreds of books and seminars about how to live your perfect new life and be healthy, happy and confident, and some give sound advice. But they also all trigger something that's human: we all crave simple solutions to all our problems.
It's easy to fall for marketing promises, personal success stories and all kinds of promises.
Scientifically speaking there are no miraculous vitamins, detoxes, courses or quick-fix therapies that will help you find solutions to multifaceted problems. Many dietary supplement providers, inspirational speakers and self-help authors sell snake oil!
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Some use stories that have the same theme as The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen where the emperor believes the weavers who tell him they will make him an invisible suit, and then in reality there was nothing there and he ends up walking around the city naked.
If you are really looking for supplements that will work for you now, in 2016 and forever, here is the list of vitamins you need to add to your diet.
Vitamin K - Knowledge
With more knowledge you make more sound decisions, and you stay away from things that might not be good for you. This vitamin will also help you ask the right kinds of questions, and you will be able to explore situations and topics more deeply.
Vitamin K2 - Kindness
Show other people kindness and they will show kindness to you. Increasing the levels of vitamin kindness is not a weakness but a strength that we are all dependent on.
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Vitamin C - Compassion
With compassion we are more tolerant of people who are not like us, we show that we understand that everyone has different problems and challenges that they are struggling with.
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Vitamin S - Self-compassion
This vitamin needs to be taken every day. People with higher levels of self-compassion dare more and care more; they forgive themselves when they fail and they do not try to be perfect. Lack of vitamin S often leads to procrastination and deep self-doubt.
Vitamin P - Patience
This vitamin comes in handy when something doesn't go your way and helps you to stay focused on what really matters.
Vitamin B - The Bullshit Antioxidant
Always stay alert and acknowledge that we live in an era of a lot of false 'facts and information' floating around the internet. This is one of the most important antioxidants you can have in your system and it helps you stay focused on what can really help you.
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Vitamin L - Love
With love and support from the people in your family, network and workplace you can overcome most setbacks and challenges.
Vitamin T - Trust
Without trust in our relationships it's hard to be as productive and effective as we would wish to be. With more trust in our lives we are brave and invincible.
Vitamin H - Hope
There are days when you lose faith and hope. Vitamin H helps us to remember that change will come into our lives.
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Vitamin E - Exercise
If you don't get the chance to naturally move around in your life, maybe you sit for long hours in front of your computer, you need to get this vitamin into your life. It will bring endless benefits to your health and wellbeing.
Vitamin NE - New Experiences
With new experiences under your belt, you learn about yourself and the world. When you are actively participating in an activity this supports your whole being.
Vitamin M - Music
Listening to music that you enjoy is a pleasure for your soul and body.
Photo © Kaspars Grinvalds Fotolia
I know from my own life that any change takes a lot of effort, and it comes with both relapses and nagging conversations with your inner critic. We somehow ended up living here on planet Earth together with 7.35 billion other people. Life is complex, we feel lonely and misunderstood. There are, to some degree, things we can choose, but everything in society is also connected and there are many circumstances that we can't control or even plan for.
Please, remember to be kind to yourself when you are setting goals for 2016.