MENTAL DETOX & HAPPINESS
Most of us have heard someone say, “I’m doing a detox” and we understand that the person is changing their eating habits to clean the body of toxins. Individuals who have used illegal substances also go through a detox program. The dictionary defines detoxification as: “a process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances; detoxification.” “To render a harmful substance harmless.”
I guide people through a 5 week Fresh Start nutritional cleanse using foods to get rid of the toxins that have accumulated in the body from processed foods and the environment. I take myself through the program once or twice a year and love how great I feel. I also guide people through a 5-day reset nutritional cleanse to jump start weight loss.
Then there’s social media detoxification. The average person has 5 social media accounts and spends more than 2 hours on social media. Wow! It makes sense why people say they don’t have enough time for exercise, healthy eating, or self-care. If we shorten our time on social media by one hour, we create more time to exercise, make a healthy meal, spend quality time with family or friends, or get more sleep!
Over the last few years, I’ve been going through a mental detoxification. Our minds hold onto toxic attitudes, and beliefs. These toxins take the form of judgment, anger, criticism, and hate to name a few. These toxins may be stored deep within our mind and various parts of our bodies. Without recognizing, processing and releasing these mental toxins, they weaken our mind and body until eventually they create disease. Stress and negative emotions have been linked to just about every known disease state.
What types of thoughts are you thinking? Since thoughts become things, what we think about is what we see. What types of thoughts are you thinking? Are you focused on negative actions, people, or news? If so, you will experience more negative life experiences. I gave up watching the daily news because most of it is negative.
However, if you cultivate positive thoughts that are focused on the goodness of people, you have compassion for yourself and others, believe that while there are some down sides to life, overall, life is good, then you will attract more good people and experiences into your life. I post positive notes throughout my house to replace the negative with the positive thought or belief.
In an experiment to prove how words, thoughts and intentions affect our reality, Dr. Emoto, a Japanese scientist, placed cook rice into three containers. On one container, the words “Thank You” were written. On the second container, he wrote, “You're an Idiot” while the third container was completely ignored. Each day when he walked by the jars, he spoke aloud the words on each jar. At the end of 30 days, the rice with the words, “Thank You” was relatively unchanged while the rice with the words, “You're idiot” turned black. The rice in the ignored container began to rot.
There are many ways to detoxify the mind. I’ve been doing a gratitude journal for years which has been life changing for me. Remembering to breathe and be mindful helps. I’ve also created time for regular meditation and getting out in nature which speaks to my soul.
About five years ago, another practice I took on to detoxify my mind is the practice of not complaining. Complaining is an epidemic that is destroying our happiness, relationships, health, and success. The problem is that most people aren’t even aware when they complain. As Will Bowen says, “Complaining is like bad breath- – you notice it when it comes out of someone else’s mouth, but not when it out of your own!”
Complaining causes us to focus on what is wrong, drawing our attention away from what we want. It has a negative Impact on our health because it draws to us the actual experience of sickness. What goes into your mouth determines the size and shape of your body; but what comes out of your mouth determines your reality.
Complaining also affects our relationships because it warps, weakens, and sometimes even destroys the very relationships that can bring us happiness. Psychologists have known that in relationships where partners are argumentative, critical, and nagging, otherwise known as complaining, they were usually unhappy in their marriages too. Complaining shifts our focus from the positive attributes that drew us to that person in the first place to what we perceive to be his or her faults which is all we can see. This shift draws us into a trap of feeling unfulfilled and can cause the other person to feel inadequate.
Even the Pope has a sign on his door that says: Quit your whining.
So, could you go 21 days in-a-row without complaining? I’m going to suggest that you join me and the more than 11 million people worldwide who have taken Will Bowen’s Complaint Free challenge.
The goal for the challenge is to go 21 days in a row without complaining. Why? Because scientists believe that repeating the same behavior for 21 consecutive days can make it a habit. You can order the Complaint Free World purple bracelet or use a rubber band.
1. Put your bracelet on either wrist — you are now on Day 1 of your 21-Day journey.
2. When you complain, move the bracelet to the other wrist. You’re now starting over; you’re back on Day 1.
3. Keep switching the bracelet every time you complain. Becoming mindful of your complaints will make you complain less-and-less over time until you go 21 consecutive days without complaining.
The average person takes 4 – 8 months to complete the 21-Day challenge. When I did it 5 years ago, I didn’t complete the challenge; but I did decrease my complaining to less than 3 per day. This time I will complete it; so stick with it! Just remember, Will states "you can’t complain your way to health, happiness, and success", and I know you can transform your thoughts from negative to positive with this mental detox that contributes to a more health, vitality and a more positive life!
