Do you find yourself in a perpetual bad mood these days? Are you experiencing a lack of energy that goes beyond just being tired and instead has you feeling genuinely weary? Are you bored with your life and frustrated with a lack of enthusiasm?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, there’s a good chance that your life is in need of a good spiritual/mental detox.
Just as our physical bodies can begin to feel sluggish and unhealthy when they are subjected to too many environmental toxins or poor dietary choices; so too can our spiritual/mental state suffer when it is subjected to too much negativity, stress or all-around ugliness. That’s why it is crucial to our overall well-being that we take steps to detox our spirits on a regular basis.
While drinking healthy, infused water (water infused with lemon, cucumber and mint leaves is one of my favorite detoxification blends), eating healthy and organic foods and dry brushing your skin are FabYOUlous practices for detoxing the physical body; what can be done to detox on a spiritual level? Here are a few suggestions to get you started…
10 FabYOUlous Ways to Detox Your Spiritual Life
- Tidy up your desk or your car, or your closet…just tidy up something. It’s so hard (if not downright impossible) to have a positive perspective on life when you are drowning in clutter. A messy, disorganized outer life is often an indication of a messy, disorganized inner life. It’s hard to find your FabYOUlousness when it is hidden under a pile of papers on your desk or shoved in a pile of old clothes at the back of your closet. Taking an hour to do some straightening up can work wonders for your mental state. Don’t try to tackle your entire house (you’ll just end up feeling overwhelmed and frustrated) but instead, pick one area where you spend a lot of time and tend to it. Once that area is cleaned up, you will notice a lightness in your spirit and will likely feel inspired to move on to another area. Don’t try to do too much at once–just begin gradually to clean up your outer surroundings and notice how much cleaner your emotional state feels as well.
- Limit your exposure to bad news. It has literally been years since I’ve watched a news program. I also don’t read newspapers. Does this mean that I am completely out of touch with current events or uneducated on important social matters? Nope. It just means that my psyche isn’t inundated with constant stories of murder and mayhem (or political mud-slinging since I’m typing this two days before an especially contentious presidential election). Whenever something truly important is going on in the world, I always manage to find out about it through social media, my friends or my own investigation. I learned a long time ago however; that exposing myself to too much “news”, just made me stressed out and cranky. I believe that we could all benefit from decreasing our intake of negative news (which makes up 99% of the news because let’s face it–good news doesn’t sell) and increasing our intake of positive, uplifting and inspiring content. Give your mental state a boost by feeding it with positivity–something you’re not likely to find much of in the nightly news.
- Get a little culture. While you’re cutting your intake of negative news, try upping your consumption of culture. Go to a museum, attend a poetry reading or
enjoy a night at the symphony. While I’ll confess that I’m a bit more of a baseball games and rock concert kind of gal, I do enjoy attending performances by our local ballet company (I particularly look forward to their annual rendition of The Nutcracker) and taking in theatrical productions at our various stage venues. There is something so moving about live performances and they never cease to leave me with a sense of awe. The same can be said of great literature or art. Even my macho husband who watches WWE wrestling (I’m serious–he watches that stuff) enjoys attending these cultural gems with me. Give it a try yourself–I’m sure that your spirit will be filled. - Surround yourself with the right kind of people. We all know who the people in our lives are that we should limit our time with, but do we actually do it? Take a look at the people with whom you spend the most time. Are they positive and encouraging people
who get you excited about your goals and eager to change your life for the better–or are they too busy gossiping about others and complaining about how much their life sucks? Life is too short and too precious to be wasted on people who drag you down and don’t bring out the best in you. If you’re already feeling depleted and in a funk, the last thing you need is to hang around with people who suck the life out of you. Misery may love company, but misery only becomes improved in the company of positivity. - Bond with an animal. Yes–surrounding yourself with positive, uplifting people is one way to let go of negative B.S. (belief systems) but so is spending time with a special critter. There are many physical health benefits of pet ownership, but the mental health benefits are just as impressive. Numerous studies have shown that
bonding with a special animal is great for reducing stress and increasing happiness levels. Animals are social creatures just like we are and they love us without judgement or unrealistic expectations. If you are fortunate enough to have a pet of your own, you are blessed beyond measure, but even if you don’t, you can still reap the benefits of an animal friendship by volunteering at your local animal shelter or pet sitting for your friends. - Delegate. I’ll admit, this one tends to be a hard one for me, but I’ve discovered that few thing make me feel more overwhelmed and in need of a spiritual detox than feeling like I have too many balls in the air. For this reason, I have had to force myself to get better at delegating certain aspects of my work and personal life. I will still handle critical tasks myself, but I have gained a great deal of freedom and peace of mind by delegating “busy work” to someone else. I’ve learned that I can send my sons (who both have their own vehicles) to run errands for me (if I bribe them with a little gas money) and have my local grocery store deliver my groceries straight to my front door. By delegating non-critical tasks such as these, I have gained time in my schedule and therefore, peace in my spirit.
- Recreate…for real. Find something that you can do for fun without concern about score or expense or how you look. Do you love to knit? Then knit (give these super cute slippers a try). Do you love to sing? Then sing. Do you love to run? Then run. Do you love to read? Then read (check out my FAVORITE book series!) Do you love to binge-watch the D.I.Y. channel? Then binge watch–within reason. We all need activities that help us to decompress and let go of the stresses of the day. Obviously our lives won’t be very productive if we spend all of our time on recreational pursuits but at the same time; our lives won’t be very productive if we never spend time on recreational pursuits. Being able to truly cut loose and lose ourselves in the sheer enjoyment of an activity will help to recalibrate our levels of spiritual and emotional well-being and help us to release toxic thoughts and behaviors that are holding us hostage.
- Laugh it up. Few things feel as good as a genuine and hearty belly laugh. Laughter truly is the best medicine because it helps to provide a proper, balanced perspective o
n life, aids in relaxation and promotes healing. Unfortunately, when we are in desperate need of a spiritual/mental detox, it can be very difficult to find something to laugh at. This is why it is critical that we make the effort to bring laughter into our lives. Watch a funny movie, learn a few jokes, spend time with a funny friend–do whatever you need to do to ensure that you are getting enough Vitamin L in your life. - Make inspiration a priority. Keep your spiritual fuel tank from running on empty by surrounding yourself
with inspiration. I do this by keeping my own personal vision-board front and center in my office (and on my computer’s desktop background and iPhone wallpaper). I also keep inspirational books nearby (click here to check out one of my current faves) and my iPhone loaded up with uplifting podcasts. I’ve created a life where I am able to plug into positivity at almost any time and from almost anywhere. This has helped me so much in my battle against toxic negativity and I am sure that it can do the same for you. - Get out into nature. It is hard to clear your mind and detox your spirit when you are cooped up in a cubicle and surrounded by idiots all day long. For this reason, it is imperative that you learn to escape into nature on a regular basis. Go
for a hike or splash in a lake. If you live in a city, you can still visit a park and enjoy a picnic under a tree. Let yourself breathe the fresh air and feel the sun on your face. If you’re able, slip off your shoes and walk barefoot across the grass. Nature has a unique way of grounding us and providing a sense of connection to all things.
By being intentional in our efforts to detox our spiritual/mental lives, we open ourselves up to a world of positivity and possibility. Take the steps necessary to ensure that you regularly cleanse your spirit of negative B.S. (belief systems) so that you are unencumbered and able to more fully experience your most FabYOUlous life.
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