Whenever I would hear someone say anything about detoxing, I would automatically assume that they were referring to a physical detox. They probably were talking about flushing their bodies of toxins by using detox tea, sweating, or whatever their preferred method may have been at the time. While those methods may have produced desired results, physically detoxing isn’t the only way to cleanse. Its equally as important to detox our minds as well to ensure that we maintain optimal mental health. Here are some natural ways that have worked for me when it comes to clearing my mind of all of the junk that accumulates over time.
Silence
Practice sitting in complete silence for at least 10 minutes a day. You can plan this time and set aside a special space or this could mean using your toilet time away from the kids. Get it how you live by any means necessary. While sitting in silence don’t do anything else, just sit. When a negative or alarming thought pops up say, “Cancel” or “Stop” without actually speaking out loud. You may be surprised at how much you begin to enjoy moments of silence.
Meditation
Not only does meditation help to clear our minds and gain focus, it also helps us strengthen our minds with consistent practice. I talk more about this in Benefits of Meditation.
Eliminate Fluoride
Believe it or not there are plenty of natural toothpastes that do not have fluoride in their ingredient list. Fluoride has been used to control the masses for quite some time now. It fogs our brains and keeps us in a docile state. I stopped using fluoride toothpastes about 2 years ago. After about 30 days, I saw the world differently. I saw truth. I even saw more color in the world. I noticed more shades of blue in the sky and the grass really did look greener. If you try switching to a natural toothpaste, I recommend using one with activated charcoal or using activated charcoal by itself to whiten your teeth.
Less Screen Time
Simply put, watch less TV and use your phone less. Social media and TV are excellent when it comes to subconsciously telling us how to feel. Some days and weeks I opt out of logging into social media all together. Coincidentally those are some of the days where my energy is the highest. I do try to use social media to uplift and post encouraging content, but reality is that the majority of the posts on social media are not so positive. When I need to do a mental detox, I have to stay away. On days I do use social media, I make a rule that I don’t check my phone when I first wake up or right before I go to sleep. Our thoughts in the morning set the emotional tone for the day because we are more receptive to information. Inversely, what we see before bed usually effects our dreams and our mindset because we are less alert and unaware of what information we are receiving. Its rather easy for me to go without TV. I prefer to read or write over watching TV, although I do have a few shows that I enjoy watching occasionally. Eliminating TV helps me connect with my own thoughts, dreams, and ideas. If I do watch TV while I’m clearing out my mind, I make sure that its something positive, uplifting, and encouraging.
Affirmations
If you wanted to build muscles, you would work out. If you wanted to grow spiritually, you would probably pray more or read spiritual texts. So why wouldn’t you work to build up a strong mindset? Affirmations are a perfect solution for this. We are taught to work on our spirits and our bodies, but we aren’t really taught to work on our minds. Truth is we have to teach ourselves how to think. Writing and reading affirmations several times a day is helpful. If you have trouble coming up with affirmations I include them often on the inspiration tab on this site. I also have several in the blogs Affirmations for Self Love , Affirmations for Depression , Affirmations for Anxiety , and Affirmations for Postpartum. Feel free to add them to your journal or your notes.
Sobriety
Going without drinking helps with cleansing the body but also the mind. Alcohol is a depressant and when it starts leaving the body emotions of sadness sometimes arise even if those emotions don’t line up with reality. I use to drink a lot. My night would start off happy as I took shots. By the end of the night I was drunk and one of my friends had to stop me from crying especially when I was going through the early years of my depression. Since I don’t drink anymore I think more clearly. I also don’t spend my next day riding the struggle bus needing to “shake back”.
Deep Breathing
Breath is our connection to the Creator. Have you noticed that when we get upset, people suggest taking a deep breath? When I was in labor, taking deep breaths was recommended during contractions. Deep breaths help to clear our minds too and reconnect with the Creator. Doing this while spending time in nature has added benefits.
Crystals
I love crystals and their healing properties. The quartz crystal is good for gaining mental clarity and healing the crown and third eye chakra which are closely associated with the way we think and view the world. Meditating with the crystal, placing it on your forehead, or simply holding it helps with harnessing the healing energy from it.
Whole Foods
Adding more whole foods can help with detoxing the body but it also helps the mind. The hormones, toxins, additives, and artificial ingredients we ingest from food has harmful effects on our minds too whether we are aware of this or not.
Eliminating Clutter
I have done everything on this list, but this may be my favorite one to do when I feel as if I am in a mental funk and need new ideas. I go on one of my cleaning rants. I throw things away that no longer work. I give away things that we no longer use. I reorganize things and create new art to put up. Not only does this help me feel creative again but putting my home in order helps me put my thoughts in order too.
What I like most about doing a mental detox, is that this always leads to more positive changes in my life. Our mind is powerful and when it is strong, we operate at our best. Mental health can no longer be an option, it has to be a priority.
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