Detoxing can be so much more than stopping alcohol for a week on an Island in paradise and doing a juice fast (This can lead to a fairly rapid Re-tox I’ve found.)There are many areas is our modern lives where we can consciously live a little less toxically.

Here I will break down a few ideas on different areas of our lives in which we can begin to detox (by no means is this list complete). My Way Therapy takes a holistic view of life and supports customers to find doable and meaningful solutions and strategies to life changes.

21^st Century life has become toxic on so many levels; Environmentally, Socially, Physically, Mentally, Emotionally and Spiritually. Below are some of my thoughts, tips and ideas of ways in which you may wish to begin to detox your life, but it won’t happen all at once and it takes support and commitment. Detoxing your life is a journey, but one that will have many lasting benefits. I have tried to list things that are within reach of most people.

Detox checklist

ENVIRONMENTAL DETOX:

Home Environment: Look around your home and honestly assess how messy and cluttered it is. Think about what you really need and what you don’t. Sometimes a friend can be helpful when decluttering or cleaning your home or wardrobe. If it feels overwhelming, start small, start easy. As Marie Kondo says, “Tidying is the act of confronting yourself”. Take your time and be gentle with yourself, set small and achievable action goals and create a plan to buy less stuff that you don’t really need.

Chemicals: The modern home is full of toxic chemicals. Some are easy to change, others like paints and furnishings more difficult. Some simple fixes include; changing to natural cleaning products and having air cleaning pot plants, most of which are hardy and easy to grow; they also beautify your environment and a beautiful environment can help to make us feel more relaxed and at peace.

SOCIAL DETOX:

Relationships: Family and friends can often be toxic influences in our lives by the messages they give us about ourselves. It’s important to have people around us who make us feel good about ourselves and sometimes this means breaking up with people, setting very clear and strong boundaries or limiting the amount of time and impact those people have on our lives. Breaking up with the toxic people in our lives can be a very difficult thing to do. Try to choose to spend more time with people who make you feel good, support you and are interested in you flaws and all. If you think that some of your relationships are unhelpful but are frightened or unsure about how to change them, seek help.

TV, Social Media and News: What types of shows do you watch? How do you feel after scrolling through your social media sites? How much time are you spending as a psychic sponge for all the violent and potentially damaging messages we filter from these sources? Reduce, be more discerning and maybe stop using some of these platforms. Work out a balanced approach to your relationship with media.

Unfinished Business: Unfinished business is when you have a strong emotional connection to someone or something that has happened in your past. Unfinished business can be toxic physically, mentally and emotionally. Sometimes we are not in a position to address the issue with the actual person, which we can do if it’s possible, we need to confront it symbolically or ritually. By working through our unfinished business we will feel lighter and more able to function in the present moment.

PHYSICAL DETOX:

Water: When we buy water in plastic bottles, not only are we harming the environment by using single-use plastics but the bottles often leech chemicals into the water. Water from the tap is also full of chemicals that our body digests. If possible invest in a good water filter and get yourself a glass, metal or BPA free bottle and drink plenty of clean, fresh water every day.

Food: Food grown non-organically is not only full of chemicals used in its production like pesticides and fertilizers but also has reduced nutritional value from depleted soils even though the vegetables might look the same. If you are able to, try to eat as much organically grown food as possible, reduce processed food (these often have a lot of salt and sugar) and reduce or cut out animal products, making sure you keep a balanced diet.

Sleep: Getting enough quality sleep is imperative to wellbeing. Cutting down on caffeine, trying to get to bed (or at least be unwinding) before 11 pm, removing devices from your bedroom (this might mean getting an old-fashioned alarm clock) and cutting down screen-time before bed can all be helpful.

Exercise: Exercise, particularly the kind where we sweat is really helpful for detoxing our bodies. If you don’t regularly exercise but would like to start try making a routine, same time, same day etc, start with something easy and achievable for you, get a buddy on board or join a group. The evidence says that we are more likely to follow through and keep it up if we have the support of others.

Unhelpful Behaviors: We all know some things are not good for us. Too much drugs or alcohol, too much sugar or junk food, too much gambling, screen time, shopping …etc, all have an effect on our mental, emotional or physical well-being (and wallet). Ask yourself if you ever feel bad or regretful after any of these activities. Changing habits can be really challenging and sometimes enlisting the help of an expert is necessary.

MENTAL/EMOTIONAL DETOX:

Unhelpful thought patterns: Our own thoughts can be toxic to us. How we think affects the way we feel and often we develop habits and patterns of thinking that harm us. There are many self-help resources available or employing a good therapist can help with detoxing your mind. It starts with gentle recognition of what we are thinking, how our thoughts are habitually structured and then finding ways to transform the way we see the world.

Self-esteem and Self Worth: If we feel better about ourselves we are more likely to do good things for ourselves and create what we do want rather than what we don’t want. When we start doing things that make us feel good like cleaning the bathroom, going for a nature walk, creating a painting, cooking a delicious healthy meal we start to value ourselves more and in-turn start to do more things of value to us. Sometimes poor self-worth comes from how we were treated as kids or by current people in our lives. Try to separate others thoughts and ideas about you from your own. Trust that it’s ok not to be perfect (no one is).

SPIRITUAL DETOX:

Honesty: No matter what your religion or beliefs we could all be more honest with ourselves and others. Most of us are pretty good at justifying our actions and defending our position even when we have that niggling feeling in our gut that tells us something is wrong. How much more honest can you be with yourself and others?

Responsibility: Being fully responsible for all our thoughts, actions and speech can be really difficult but we can all gain more awareness into what we are putting out there into the world and the type of person we want to be. Regardless of whether you acknowledge it or not you are responsible for your life. You can’t blame the past or anyone else for how you are now. By taking responsibility and owning your stuff you are then able to do something with it, to change it, to be more in control of your life.

Forgiveness: Easy to say, hard to do…but ultimately worth it. By holding grudges and bad feelings toward others we are ultimately only hurting ourselves and living in the past. Forgiveness starts with acceptance that the situation has happened, it’s past and therefore can not be changed. I have a saying I find really helpful when working with forgiveness, which is, ‘Everybody is doing the best they can with what they’ve got.’ Meaning that even if people have done something really crappy to you at the time that’s all that they were capable of. Forgiving yourself also for all the times you were not perfect but just doing the best you could with what you had at that time.

Nature Fix:  Recent research suggests that getting into Nature as regularly as you can is great for Mind, Body and Spirit. Wilderness and wild places are particularly beneficial but going to the local park has great advantages for wellness too. For a reset of your mind find places that inspire awe; an amazing sunset, a sky full of stars, a waterfall in a deep lush forest, an awesome horizon view over the ocean. Try Walk and Talk Therapy with My Way .

Benefits of a life detox

The benefits of ‘Detoxing your Life’ are enormous. You will: feel better physically, look better, have better relationships, be healthier, think more clearly, have better self-esteem, live in a more sustainable way, be surrounded by an environment that you feel good about, be less likely to become unwell, live more authentically and have more control over your life.

Sounds pretty inviting ehy? Why not choose one little thing you can do today to start your life-detox journey.

My Way Therapy offers a holist approach to support you to create the best life for you by creating doable goals and actions.