IT'S TIME TO ACT
- Madhukar Dama
- May 20
- 6 min read
Excellent. Here's the revised, focused version of the essay:
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YOU KNOW, BUT YOU DON’T ACT: THE SELF-CARE LIE
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INTRODUCTION
You know fried food clogs your gut.
You know late nights ruin your hormones.
You know your morning tea is an addiction.
You know your body is inflamed, bloated, constipated, acidic, or exhausted.
And yet—
You eat the same.
You sleep the same.
You scroll the same.
You live the same.
You know.
But you don’t act.
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1. KNOWLEDGE IS NOT POWER. ACTION IS.
You read books.
You watch health videos.
You forward WhatsApp tips about detox, walking, gut health, intermittent fasting.
You nod and say, “Very true.”
Then you microwave your lunch, add ketchup, drink cola, and collapse on the couch.
You have weaponized knowledge into procrastination.
You delay healing by pretending you're preparing for it.
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2. YOU’RE WAITING FOR A PERFECT START THAT WILL NEVER COME
“I’ll start after this stressful week.”
“I’ll begin after my child’s exams.”
“I’ll clean up my diet after this wedding.”
“I’ll rest once the project is over.”
Life will never give you a clean slot.
It is messy by design.
So your healing has to begin within that mess.
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3. YOU CONFUSE INTENTION WITH TRANSFORMATION
Buying herbal powders ≠ healing.
Watching food reels ≠ healing.
Telling others what to eat ≠ healing.
Feeling guilty ≠ healing.
Transformation begins when you say:
> “No more excuses.”
And then act like it.
Day after day.
Even when it’s hard.
Especially when no one applauds.
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4. YOU TREAT HEALING LIKE A TEMPORARY PHASE
You “do yoga” for two weeks.
You “eat clean” for five days.
Then you feel better, so you slide back.
Healing is not a challenge.
It’s a lifestyle.
There is no finish line.
There is only daily alignment.
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5. YOU OUTSOURCE SELF-CARE TO PRODUCTS AND PLANS
You think the solution is:
A new supplement
A special oil
A branded organic diet
A fancy detox retreat
But your body doesn’t need more.
It needs less—
Less junk, less noise, less stimulation, less drama, less dependency.
Healing isn’t in products.
It’s in discipline.
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6. YOU’RE ADDICTED TO COMFORT AND DON’T WANT TO ADMIT IT
You say:
> “I need my evening chai.”
“I can’t fall asleep without my show.”
“I can’t function without rice.”
“I need AC or I get irritable.”
What you call “needs” are actually addictions.
And addictions are comfort traps.
You know they hurt.
But they feel easier than withdrawal.
So you choose slow death over short-term discomfort.
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7. YOU STILL CARE MORE ABOUT TASTE THAN HEALTH
You say:
> “I don’t want to compromise on taste.”
“One life to live—why suffer?”
And that’s how you suffer—
With piles, fatty liver, constipation, fatigue, weight gain, hair fall, anxiety, acidity, insomnia.
All because you wanted food to entertain, not to nourish.
You don’t eat to live.
You live to eat.
That’s the real disease.
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8. YOU KNOW THE DISEASE IS LIFESTYLE—BUT YOU EXPECT MEDICINE TO FIX IT
You say:
> “I know it’s my routine, but I just need something to manage the symptoms.”
You want a pill for a lifestyle problem.
You want a shortcut to erase years of disconnection.
You want relief without change.
But relief is not healing.
Healing begins only when you change how you live.
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9. YOU HIDE BEHIND FAMILY, WORK, AND CULTURE
You say:
> “My in-laws eat this way.”
“My kids won’t accept this change.”
“We’ve been eating like this for generations.”
“My job doesn’t allow that.”
So what you’re really saying is:
> “I prefer being sick with everyone else than being healthy alone.”
You want to heal without upsetting anyone.
That is not possible.
Healing always shakes something.
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10. YOU THINK YOU HAVE TIME
You tell yourself:
> “I’ll fix it someday.”
“I’ll take care once I’m settled.”
“It’s not urgent.”
But chronic disease is like termites.
You don’t notice till the furniture collapses.
One day your body will force you to change.
By then, healing will cost you more—
More money, more pain, more effort.
It’s cheaper to act now.
While you still have the choice.
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CONCLUSION
You don’t need more advice.
You don’t need more knowledge.
You don’t need more tips.
You need action.
Wake up earlier.
Walk more.
Cut sugar.
Say no.
Sleep on time.
Eat real food.
Breathe.
Rest.
Stop the drama.
And do it every single day.
No fanfare.
No validation.
Just you, your body, and your honesty.
Because you already know.
Now do.
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“YOU KNOW, BUT YOU STAY SICK”
(based on self-care, diet, and lifestyle illusions)
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you know the chips are poison,
but you still crunch them like the silence you avoid.
you know sugar is a thief
but you open the door every night like a lover returning from war.
you know sleep is the only medicine
but you scroll until your pupils rot in blue light.
you know.
you fucking know.
but knowing is your entertainment.
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you read the label.
you save the reel.
you even forwarded it to your cousin in Dubai.
but the samosa still lands in your gut.
the chai still hits your nerves like a bribe.
the lie still works:
“one last time.”
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you say “I’m aware.”
as if awareness cures acidity.
you say “I’m mindful.”
as if mindfulness makes your poop come on time.
you’ve watched so many healing videos
you could run a fake ayurveda retreat.
but you can’t sit for five minutes
without reaching for something
— a phone, a thought, a snack,
some damn distraction from your own body.
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your body is tired.
not from work.
from your delay.
your betrayal.
your polished procrastination.
your fake spiritual playlists.
your “gut-healing” noodles.
you keep asking,
> “What should I eat?”
while chewing what you already know is killing you.
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you say you love your kids
but you feed them the same crap you escape from.
you say you want to live long
but can’t even walk 30 minutes without excuses.
you say “life is to be enjoyed”
but you haven’t enjoyed a shit in years.
---
your knee pain is wisdom.
your acid reflux is a poem.
your hair fall is a protest.
your constipation is your conscience saying:
> “You’re full of it, buddy.”
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you know what to do.
you’ve known for years.
cut the sugar.
drop the screen.
sleep early.
move.
breathe.
eat simple.
say no.
but you treat it like a syllabus,
like a theory class.
you want a new app,
a detox challenge,
a reward.
you want healing to feel like a festival.
it isn’t.
it’s a goddamn burial.
of your comforts.
your drama.
your fake image.
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you say you’re waiting for motivation.
but motivation is not coming.
discipline is already here.
and she’s wearing a faded saree,
chewing neem,
and asking:
> “Will you stop lying to yourself today?”
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healing won’t come wrapped in almond flour brownies.
it won’t come from Himalayan pink salt.
it won’t come after your in-laws leave.
it won’t come when you “settle down.”
it won’t come through guilt or glamor.
it comes when you sit on the floor,
eat what the earth made,
sweat without shame,
sleep without a fan,
say “no” to people who think you’ve changed.
because you have.
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you know.
you’ve always known.
and that’s the tragedy.
not your disease.
not your inflammation.
not your bloating or your body odor or your cravings.
the real tragedy
is your intelligence
rotting
in inaction.
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do you want to heal
or just keep collecting health quotes?
do you want peace
or just scroll for it?
do you want energy
or just keep leaking it
into food, noise, and laziness?
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get up.
wash your face.
open a window.
boil water.
walk barefoot.
chew slowly.
rest early.
stop pretending.
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you know.
you always did.
but now,
act like it.
