Do you need a Mental Detox?

Many of us have heard about a food detox, but what about a mental detox? Just like our bodies need a period of time to get rid of toxic or unhealthy substances, our minds need a period of time to get rid of or at least minimize negative and unhelpful thoughts. Here are some signs that you need a mental detox.

1. You are always looking for opportunities to be offended! You snap at others for the smallest things, you take pride in putting others down and you are angry most of the time. You are consistently pessimistic.

2. You spend a lot of time gossiping and spreading rumors about others. You get excited about talking negatively about others, while putting yourself at the center of attention and boosting your ego.

3. You are isolating from others. You feel disconnected from and disenchanted with the world and your solitude is spent unproductively and in fear. You tell yourself that you don’t have any friends.

4. You are experiencing high levels of anxiety. You are having trouble sleeping, racing thoughts or panic attacks. You may feel fearful or uncertain most of the time.

5. You are always comparing yourself to others. You feel insecure about yourself and constantly compare yourself to others. You might believe that you don’t measure up or suffer from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) when viewing posts on social media

6. You are always feeling overwhelmed. You are having difficulty keeping up with daily tasks and responsibilities. You find yourself constantly saying that you are stressed, busy and overwhelmed.

If you can relate to at least one of these signs, then you would benefit from a mental detox. The mind is like velcro for negative experiences and teflon for positive ones. Overwhelming our minds with negative thoughts can take a toll on our mental and physical health. By simply changing our thoughts, it is true that we can change our life. Here are some ways to help you move into a more abundant, positive and healthy mindset.
1. Unplug for a few hours. Switch everything to airplane mode and free yourself from the constant urge to check social media, email and respond to text messages. Unplugging helps to remove unhealthy feelings of jealousy, envy and loneliness.

2. Maintain a gratitude journal. Gratitude effectively improves mood and decreases anxiety and depression. It has also been shown to improve one’s self esteem and reduce social comparisons. Simply record one thing that you experience each day for which you’re grateful (e.g., waking up this morning, the advice you received from a friend, listening to a great song) and you will reap the benefits of gratitude.

3. Engage in daily meditation or prayer. Prayer and meditation helps your body and mind to relax. This means that blood pressure goes down, your breathing rate regulates and becomes calm, and your heartrate slows down. These practices also are related to greater creativity, decreased anxiety and depression, improved learning and memory, and increased happiness and emotional stability.

4. Engage in physical activity. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. You may also notice a boost in your confidence because when you exercise regularly, you begin to feel better about your appearance.

5. Develop a hobby that you enjoy. Hobbies promote eustress- beneficial stress that makes you feel excited about what you are doing. They help you to take time away from the things that you HAVE to do and do things that you WANT to do.

6. Deliberately create positive experiences for yourself. Make a list of things that you enjoy/value and practice those things daily. Examples include helping others, sending a card to a friend, taking a walk in the park or recalling a time when you were happy.

I always say that awareness is the first step. Once we have the awareness of the benefits of taking a mental detox, we can make the shift and behave differently in the world. I encourage you to take an honest inventory of your thoughts/behaviors and consider whether you would benefit from a mental detox. Then try out some of the suggestions above.  Share your story by leaving a reply at the bottom of this post. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at cwatlington@drwatlington.com.

Warmly,

Christina