Of the master levers that control 80% of our health destiny, self compassion and self-care would have to be the keystone. When we drop beyond physical sensations into our heart soul and spirit, the barriers that keep us from making healthy decisions every day just melt away.
The bad news is that the perception of chronic stress is the most powerful barrier to our ability to make healthful choices over unhealthy ones. There are several mechanisms by which this happens:
1. Chronic stress perception contributes to elevated levels of cortisol and insulin in the body both of which cause increase in central adiposity or midsection fat which leads to oxidative stress as well as chronic inflammation
2. Chronic stress perception depletes will-power which is a finite resource
3. Chronic stress perception causes us to be less likely to seek help and medical care

The good news is that when we cultivate practices of self awareness we can create resilience by shifting the perception from chronic stress to acute stress creating a sense of at least some degree of control even in difficult situations.

When we connect with the stillness within us, we develop compassion, kindness, generosity, authenticity. This self compassion can reach out to include other people around us and help us find meaning, purpose and joy.

With these positive emotions, it becomes natural to be able to make healthier eating choices, to be more active, and to replace unhealthy self-destructive behaviors (like smoking, drinking and drugs) with ones that enhance our lives and improve our health every day.