Spring gives us the sweetest opportunity to cleanse our life, to shed those Winter layers and to re-ignite our passion and involvement with our inner health and outer surroundings. This week we’ll start were it all begins – within the mind and spirit.
Our culture is prone to emphasize the importance of cleansing the body of toxins. When you start an internal cleanse, your body works hard to remove impurities. While the benefits of a physical cleanse are many, a mental detox is of equal or maybe even greater importance. The body and mind work together, in harmony. No matter how good your physical condition is, if your mind is filled with toxic thoughts, beliefs and perceptions, you will still feel heavy, unclear, and unhappy.
Cleansing your mind + spirit will give you the head start you need to begin a successful detox of your physical body.
Check out the tips below:
Be a Ruthless Editor of What You Allow to Enter Your Mind
In our 24/7 information culture, we have to be careful what we let into our mind. Too much bad news can bring you down, cause mental overwhelm and a sense of gloom, without even realizing why. Think about where your news and information come from. Is it the TV? The newspaper? A person? Can your access to these things be limited or maybe even cut out all together? An added bonus for removing this negativity from your mind, you have more time to work on positive things, goals, visions.
Alternatively, let the good vibes in!
Do this by having inspirational items or things that make you happy handy. Listen to a podcast or music, watch a video, read a magazine or a book that are inspirational or motivational in nature. Start to take charge of what goes into your mind and make a choice to fill it with informative and positive thoughts. By proactively putting only positive things into your mind you’ll start to feel as though that overthinking transforms into optimism.
Meditate To Radiate
Meditation is a beautiful tool in the quest to cleanse the mind and spirit. In meditation the goal is not to completely quiet the mind – but instead to allow thoughts whether good or bad to come and then go. To observe and then let flow…
One of my favorite meditation tools is:
Also our wei cool partner Lisa Reinhardt has started doing one on one meditation consultations!
Journaling As A Weekly Practice
In James Allen’s book, ‘As a Man Thinketh’, I learned that “the outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state… people do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.” With the daily practice of journaling, you can see your inner state more clearly, and make corresponding changes to the inner and outer conditions of your life, should you wish. In turn, it is just easier to observe yourself with this daily practice.
Find a journal that you love, maybe even a special pen or pencil and ultimately a spot that inspires you to do your daily or weekly writing.
Daily Affirmations
Affirmations are a simple yet powerful way to bring positive energy into your life. An affirmation or to affirm is when you are acknowledging something and proclaiming it to be true. Positive affirmations are phrases used to bring attention and focus to the areas of your life you would like to magnetize or bring more abundance. When written down or said aloud with repetition, these simple phrases become part of our conscious and subconscious mind, allowing us to have a better grasp on how we think, feel, act, and even react.
Try:
“I am connected to all that is around me”
Or
“My potential is unlimited and I am open to the movement and flow of life.”
Get Moving!
Go for a walk. Take a weekend trip. Visit a museum or outdoor garden. Check out free events taking place in your community. Get out there, in the sunshine! Even if it’s just for 30 minutes. Physical activity and sunshine are a combo that will lift your spirits, clear your mind and get those endorphins pumping!
According to a study done by the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Georgia, even briefly exercising for 20 minutes facilitates information processing and memory functions. Exercise affects the brain on multiple fronts. It increases heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain. It also aids the release of a plethora of hormones, all of which participate in aiding and providing a nourishing environment for the growth of brain cells. From a behavioral perspective, the same antidepressant-like effects associated with "runner's high" found in humans is associated with a drop in stress hormones.