When your dad’s sperm collided with your mum’s egg, there was a surge of energetic activity. You started as one cell. During round 260 of cell division, differentiation occurred. A powerful force instructed each cell to migrate to a 3D map and become the cell of a specific organ. Science can’t pinpoint the precise location of this instructional intelligence that enabled you to bloom into who you are, but we are beginning to understand more about the importance of biodiversity and its role in personalising our wellbeing.

Most of us are trying our best to look after our health. We have intentions to eat wholesome food, to hydrate, and to fit exercise into our busy schedules. Yet many of us are feeling depleted and lacking the vitality we seek. Since the early 90s we’ve witnessed a surge of medical and psychological conditions affecting humans across all age groups – Crohn’s disease, chronic fatigue, neurodivergent disorders such as ASD and ADHD, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and a plethora of gut-related intolerances. Why is this? And why in a day and age with much advancement in technology, there isn’t consensus on how to best resolve these issues? With all the knowledge and medical expertise available, why aren’t we all living our best life?

Disconnection and lack of diversity. Optimal psychological and biological wellbeing occurs when the symphony of our cells communicates with one another efficiently. Within each cell, we have a receiver, just like that of a mobile phone. Similarly to when you text your friend, our cells rely on a network of larger electrical towers to pick up and transmit the signals. When these towers aren’t working properly, cell communication breaks down. At this point, an injured cell can’t inform the rest of the body that it needs repair. If left this way, there is a total disconnect and disease begins. Cancer for example, is a single cell that has experienced 20,000 unrepaired genetic injuries.

What’s causing this disconnection? We’ve become chemically reliant, both in our healthcare system and agricultural processes. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are often the first solution discussed with patients suffering from anxiety or mood disorders. These medicines target specific neurotransmitters. Herbicides target specific weeds. But the moment you spray a bottle of synthetic antibacterial substance onto the soil, it not only kills the weed but also destroys everything within the soil, including nutrient rich particles that store the life-giving energy of the sun. These chemicals not only break down the molecules needed to grow nourishing food, but the toxins pass into what we ingest, and disrupt the diversity of living organisms (our microbiome) needed for our body’s immune system to regenerate and repair. Recent studies show that when you expose human cell systems to these chemicals, it dissolves communication between them, causing disturbance to the way mitochondria (the heart of the cell) operate and inevitably, how energy is exchanged within the body.

Chemicals are convenient and sometimes they’re needed. But when we opt for synthetics over nature as the main mode for healing, we’re killing our connection to the life force within each cell. Our microbiome (which we know is strongly linked to our mental health) begins to resemble a monocrop, stripping our body from the variety of microorganisms needed for a thriving system.

Connect back to the truth of who you are. Start seeing each of your 30 trillion cells as an exquisite matrix. See past the claims of convenience and understand that the best way to heal and optimise your biological and psychological success is to enhance connectivity – not with things made from artificial compounds found in bottles and sprays, but things from the earth that help you contribute your light into the world. How?

Try these simple changes to increase your biological and psychological diversity:

• Simply spending time on a beach, in a park, or under a tree stimulates the neurological input your brain receives, which can automatically start changing neurobiology and improve connection between cells. Choose less time indoors and on screens and more time exposing your beautiful brain to the fractals of nature.
• Look into the flames – be it around a campfire, a pit in your backyard or that of a candle. Science has shown that simply gazing at the flames of fire strengthens connections amongst our cellular activity and activates stem cells. Bring back the healing power of storytelling around a flame, be it with your partner, your friends, or your community.
• Diversify your interactions. Make efforts to talk to people different from you, listen to their stories, spend time asking questions with curiosity.
• Diversify what you listen to. Change the channel. Better yet, turn it off and tune into all that’s around you.
• Diversify your actions: try learning a skill that enhances your microbiome. Join a workshop on fermenting foods, learn how to make kombucha, or simply watch an episode of Hannah Moloney’s Good Life Permaculture to get inspired by the wealth of simple tips that will stimulate your neurology and get all your cells dancing again!

Annia Baron is a mum, a Clinical Psychologist and Mindset Coach. Want to learn more about mindset tools to create a life you desire and deserve? Get in touch on Instagram @anniabaron or visit www. remindyourself.com