A few years ago, I interviewed board-certified neurologist Dr. Phillipe Douyon. Neuroplasticity had already been on my mind for nearly a decade after reading Super Brain: Unleashing the Explosive Power of Your Mind to Maximize Health, Happiness, and Spiritual Well-Being by Rudolph E. Tanzi, Ph.D. and Deepak Chopra, M.D. The idea was simple but dangerous in its power: my brain, like my life, was mine to mold, reshape, challenge, and heal.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to strengthen and rewire neural connections. It’s how we form habits, break them, recover from injury, learn, forget, and learn again. That science became a quiet obsession. You don’t need permission to change your mind. You need time, pressure, and repetition.
Today, another phrase for healing and longevity drifted in: cellular plasticity.
Here’s the logic, the philosophy, and the experiment.
December Detox: Cellularplasticity
I’ve been in a mental rut. Unfocused. Disinterested. Constantly rushing, even when nothing is chasing me. I turned 40 this year. My grandfather lived to 99. My parents will likely pass 80. I feel a responsibility to outrun that timeline so their sacrifice doesn’t hit a dead end with me.
I’ve been telling myself I’m old, knowing that our bodies are obedient to language and self-perception. I notice the brain fog. The careless mistakes. Dropping things. Wasting time doing five small trips instead of one intentional one. I’m always onto the next thing, and honestly, that kind of living is just a slower version of dying.
I can’t choose the last day. But I can take back the days in between.
So: December Detox. A slow, deliberate withdrawal from habits, apps, and patterns that fracture my attention. Day one: this post.
Sauna + Cold Plunge Theory (For Your Cells)
When I drink water, I picture it moving through every micrometre (μm) of my body; passing membranes, hydrating tissues, feeding the smallest architecture of my body. That image is part science, part ritual. I add lemon, cloves, cinnamon, garlic, and salt to my water in the mornings. Supplements aren't a miracle cure, they're intentional for awareness.
Lately, I’ve wondered about heat. About molecules in motion. About stress and survival. I drink a lot of hot water and tea. I’ve questioned whether I’m overdoing it — not because it’s proven harmful at a cellular level, but because extremes deserve interrogation.
I’ve also been using my at-home sauna, then walking straight into the cold air outside. The contrast is violent. Honest. Ancient. Sweat, constriction, expansion. Not rebirth, but resilience training. Teaching the body that shock isn’t the same thing as death. There are worse things happening in the world. 20 degree cold weather won't break you (I once walked ten miles from Lower Manhattan into South East Brooklyn in a Blizzard. My reslience has always been there)
Starting today, I’ll alternate between warm and cold drinking water, not to “save” my cells — but to remind them (and me) that adaptability is the goal. Not comfort.
This is my version of cellular plasticity: controlled discomfort in service of longevity.
This is the End (And the Beginning)
The only reason to speed through life is to meet your demise faster. Whether physically, spiritually, or mentally we will meet our ultimate destiny. I've been afraid of that endpoint for decades. The darkness always sparks that old shit I conquered years ago. (Thanatophobia: Everything to Fear but Fear Itself)
But fear can become structure.
December and early darkness and excessive holiday and end of yeat stress shouldn't lead to panic. Reclaim your time, attention, and choices.
My December Habits Challenge
- Listening to podcasts while working: My job is "aight". I work from home and have too much freedom. Stepping up and being more present professionally will support my future goals.
- December Detox: Shuffle YouTube Music Radio and enjoy new artists or classics from my childhood while working. Kill the "noise".
- X (Twitter): X (Twitter) is slowly creeping back into it's prime Black Twitter days. It's lawless, fun, informative and in-tune with the culture. But I don't want to watch the culture, I want to redefine.
- December Detox: No scrolling for the entire month
- Tumblr: I've been enoying Tumblr communities with fellow nature enthusiasts. But once again, less consuming, more creating.
- December Detox: I created NIMBY-Nature in My Backyard and will focus on posting more content and building a community of people who appreciate the zoo that lives around their home.
- Reading: I haven't been doing enough.
- December Detox: 10 pages a day.
- Exercising: I haven't been dedicating as much time as I'd like.
- December Detox:
- On my WFH (work from home) days scatter my workouts throughout the day.
- Start each day with 10 minutes of yoga and then 10 minutes meditating.
- End each day with 10 minutes of yoga and 10 minutes of meditating.
- 3-4 30-45 minute workoutdas during the week. Dealer's choice.
- December Detox:
- Writing: I have good strides then fall off my mountains
- Write everyday, whether it's a song, a few bars, post, or newsletter.
The Philosophy of December
Forget waiting until the New Year to change, start now and get a 31 (30)day head start to a better you. Yesterday I wrote, today I publish. Later today I'll find the next way to honor myself and declutter my mind to focus on what I love. Talk soon.
✌🏿
