How to Detox Your Mind and Body and Enjoy Your Life

We are living a fast-paced, intense lives. Swamped with information from all sides, drama from across the globe on one level, local issues and problems on the other. It’s pretty easy and common to feel overwhelmed and tired by everything around us. Except this isn’t only physical wear and tear, but emotional fatigue and burnout. Couple all of this with the fact that we live in a society that celebrates long workweeks and fetishists a lack of sleep, and an increasingly polluted environment, and you end up with a recipe for disaster. Simply put, you need to detox your mind and body!

Below we have compiled a short and simple list on how you can battle some of the modern world’s assaults on your body and mind.

Be clear what you want to do

First things first – decide what you want to focus on. Namely, a big part of detoxifying your body and mind is creating room to grow. However, in order to actually grow, to move forward and achieve your goals, you need to know what these goals are. You can have the best ship possible, the sturdiest, lightest, with the most powerful engines, the crew can be the finest around, the captain can be the best in the world – it won’t matter at all if you don’t know where you want to move.

So, we suggest that the first part of your detox is to sit down and write down your goals. Take stock of your life, see what you like, what you don’t like, think about which people you want to keep, and which you need to cut out. Keep in mind that this doesn’t have to be a fixed process – you can change your mind later, as long as you start moving into a specific direction.

Find a way to vent

As far as emotional detoxing goes, maybe the best way to get rid of these “toxins” is to actually and literally get them out. Find a way to vent and combat stress in a healthy way, to get them all out and achieve catharsis. You can do this in a couple of ways.

First, a simple act of letting go and letting negative emotions and stress to just rush out of you can do wonders. Scream, yell, cry, hit your bed, shout into a pillow, do whatever your emotions force you to do. You will most likely seem like a crazy person to a bystander, so we suggest you do this in the comfort of your own home, alone, or with someone you know and trust.

You can also vent through self-expression. Find some kind of outlet, whichever one you prefer. This can be painting, drawing, maybe writing a poem or short story. Perhaps you prefer music – why not record yourself playing or singing whatever comes to mind, in whatever way, and then burn the cd (or dramatically delete the mp3 file)? Perhaps you might only need to do this once in a while, perhaps you need 15 minutes of this every day. Don’t obsess over the quality of your art and work, rather, just focus on getting your emotions outside of yourself.

Finally, physical expression is also important. Not only are you going to take care of your body, you will also get rid of this excessively negative charge. You can do this by lifting weights, taking up a martial art, dancing, or perhaps just running and jogging.

Go outside

Spend as little time indoors as you can. Work hard to actually get out of the house, and into the world. We spend too much time isolated from other people, far away from our friends, our families, our neighbors. Leave the house, take a walk, no headphones, no phone, just you, open to the world. Go to a shop, get a bicycle, order one from an online bike store, or maybe even build your own. Just find a way to spend as much time with outdoor activities as you can.

However, something that will do you even more good is going outside of your city. Retreating into nature, hiking, running, jogging, camping, anything and everything at all, just as long as you’re outside. The benefits of spending time in nature has on your mind and body are pretty self-evident, and thoroughly researched.

Learn to say no

You need to learn to say no, both to yourself, and to the people that are in your life. Whether it’s saying no to excess obligations and things you don’t really want to do, or refusing new job opportunities and party invitations, saying no can be a lifesaver. Namely, a new job opportunity may sound like you should accept it, but be honest with yourself, and think whether you actually want this.

The same goes for parties – you may have an open calendar, and the party sounds like you should really want it, but there is no point in forcing yourself to do the thing you don’t feel like doing. And it goes without saying that developing natural assertiveness is vital in every aspect of life.

Stick to technology fasts

Technology fasts are all the rage these days, and for good reason. We are glued to our screens, we got used to the instant gratification gained from browsing random apps, playing mobile games, or getting validation through social media.

Furthermore, people are just used to staying in contact all the time that if you don’t respond to somebody’s message immediately, you are seen as impolite, as just ghosting people.

So, here is what we suggest. Depending on your line of work, the field you are in, and your general social circle, schedule some time for your technology fast. This can, depending on the factors we just listed, be anything between two hours every day, one entire day per week, or maybe an hour every other week. People live varied lives, and not everybody has the luxury of a technology fast.

Conclusion

There are ways to fight the malaise of modernity. Try to minimize your tech usage, try to live in the moment. Hold technology fasts, and learn how to say no to things you don’t want to do (no matter if you think you should). Live light, try to spend as much time outside, and vent in a healthy and creative way.

Do you have any tips, suggestions, ideas or opinions on how to detox your mind and body? Please share them and this article to help spread the work of health and wellness to everyone we can!

About the author

Marla

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Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog! I believe in living green, organically, and natural in every aspect of our lives. My mission is to help educate you on how to live green, help save our environment and to help you and your family live a happier, healthier life!