Cleanse Your Mind, Heal Your Heart and Soul
Most people have heard of completing a physical detox; either resetting our body’s intestinal tract through restricted, or specific, food intake, or abstaining from alcohol or other potential toxins to our body’s systems (anyone partake in “Dry January” recently?). However, we should not overlook the benefits of conducting a mental cleanse. A ‘mental detox’ is a process that can produce longer-lasting health and well-being benefits.
Mental detoxing is the process of clearing and cleansing the negative, unhealthy, and unconscious thoughts and beliefs which impact our mental, physical, emotional, and energetic wellbeing. It is estimated that we have over 70,000 thoughts per day and neuroscience has revealed that we spend only 5% of our time in the conscious mind with the remaining 95% of the time in the subconscious mind. This means we are on “autopilot” for most of our day and not fully aware of, or intentional, in our thoughts, behaviors, and reactions.
We often refer to cleansing the mind as ridding ourselves from “toxic thinking”. We have the tendency to cling to primary beliefs developed in childhood that shape our values and opinions about ourselves in the present day. They are what drives our attentional focus and if we think we are unworthy, we feel we are unworthy, thus defining ourselves as such. We need to detox our minds from the false and limited thinking that disrupts our lives and relationships and prevents us from achieving happy and fulfilled lives.
If you answer yes to any of the below, then you could benefit from a mental detox.
- Are your thoughts predominantly negative? Do you have a pattern of judging and criticizing yourself that often leads to stress, overwhelm, or anxiety?
- Are you stuck in experiencing negative emotions? Do certain emotions such as sadness or guilt suppress others such as joy or love, which leave you feeling helpless, distracted, and unable to move forward in life?
- Are feelings of low self-worth blocking your ability to engage in meaningful activities or relationships? Is low self-esteem or self-doubt preventing you from pursuing your passion and functioning fully in your life?
- Are you experiencing unpredictable and reactive behavior? Do you struggle to communicate and connect effectively with yourself or others because of difficulty controlling anger, frustration, or fear?
How do you help yourself start to clear and release your toxic thinking? You create a script that allows for more self-compassion, confidence and clarity enabling you to feel more connected to yourself and those around you. Mental cleansing can include activities as simple as deep breathing and stretching exercises or taking a break from electronic devices, to more gradual processes of clearing and cleansing outdated beliefs and behaviors that no longer serve you.
Here are Steps to Jumpstart Your Own Mental Detox:
- Develop Self-Awareness: Identify and address the thoughts and beliefs running through your mind to help you avoid ‘autopilot mode’. As you start to pay attention to your thoughts (without judgment) ask yourself the following questions: Is this true? Is this a feeling or a fact? How is thinking this helping me?
- Shed the Negativity Weight: We carry the burden of our negative beliefs around with us. These thoughts and feelings build up in our system and keep us stuck and feeling ‘heavy’. Think of every negative belief as a rock you would put in a bag you carry with you through your day. Imagine how heavy that bag would be by days’ end. Use reframing to talk back to the negative thinking and ‘throw the rock away’ to keep the bag light and easy to carry.
- Recognize Feelings as Fleeting, not Forever: Allow and acknowledge feelings to surface as you become aware of the thoughts that fuel the emotions. It helps to know that emotions are energy-in-motion and eventually will pass. Focus on experiencing feelings that can motivate you to act, and interact, in meaningful ways. Work on avoiding tendency to ‘feed’ your feelings by focusing on them, choose to shift your mindset; energy flows where attention goes.
- Put your Presence in the Present: We waste a lot of time focusing on regrets of the past and fears for the future. Practicing mindfulness helps us redirect our focus and energy back to the moment, right here and right now. Work on taking slow deep breaths and use your five senses to focus on where you are in this moment using; what can I see, hear, smell, touch, and taste?
- Expand your Perspective and Find the Positive: When we aren’t filled with negativity, life feels lighter and more effortless. We can begin to re-wire our brain to explore and accept the strengths within us. Shift from worse case to best case scenarios and find the opportunities and the possibilities of being the one and only wonderful You. Using a gratitude journal is a great practice to cultivate this.
Above all, remember to be kind to yourself. This is a gradual process, a practice. There is no finish line. If you ask yourself “Would I tell a friend the same things I tell myself?” and the answer is “NO!” then you know it’s time to shift your negative thoughts to more compassionate ones. Remember you are not alone in the fight to feel good enough. Reach out for help if you’re struggling with intrusive negative thoughts. You can ask a close friend or family member if they have time to talk or find a local therapist or counselor near you. Any one of the skilled therapists at Illuminate Therapy & Wellness are here to help clear your mind and improve your wellbeing.
Greta Nielsen, MA, LCPC, NCC Co-Owner/Psychotherapist Illuminate Therapy & Wellness, LLC
