Marci’s Top 5 Tips for Detoxing in 2016
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As we get ready to ring in the New Year, I wanted to share with you my top 5 tips for detoxing in 2016. I’m going to do this David Letterman style so starting backwards with:
5.) Detox your closet by ditching clothes you can only fit into when starving and overexercising your body, suffering from a severe case of the flu, or battling a bout of significant depression. These clothes should not be a part of your life. If you can’t totally part with them yet, put them in a bin and then out of sight. Many people believe that keeping their “skinny clothes” inspires them. But if those clothes only fit as a result unhealthy behaviors or practices, you should never aspire to wear them again. Ever.
4. Detox the way you assess your body’s acceptability. I highly recommend tossing the scale or any other standard of measure that determines if your body is good enough. Checking on your weight may be done occasionally like any other health measure- periodically and to assess a global picture of health. Depending on your relationship to your weight and personal history, you might decide to take an extended break from the scale. I support this.
3. Detox all of the media in your life. Yes, social media, TV, and books. What are you bringing in to your mind, spirit, and body? Be selective because you are precious. And you might not realize that you are also deeply affected by what you consume. We passively take in all kinds of crap by virtue of being a human in the modern world. So we better take extra care with what we intentionally ingest in our media diet.
2. Detox relationships that do not support your best self. Get choosey! Not everyone is worthy of your time and attention. Holding boundaries in your relational life will spill over to other aspects of your health. I promise. You will be astounded at how much less you need food for managing your emotional landscape when your relationships are in line with your core values.
1. Detox your food vocabulary. Words are POWERFUL influencers of how we experience food. Calling food bad, toxic or dirty may increase your feelings of guilt and shame. This is incredibly unproductive as it clouds your capacity to listen to your inner gauge of food preferences, satiety, hunger, and fullness. Yes, some foods are healthy and some foods are not healthy. But imparting judgment actually worsens health. Ironically, dropping the negativity may actually create a healthier pattern of eating!
I hope my top 5 list for detoxing in 2016 inspires you! I’m eager to hear your feedback. What else needs detoxing in your life in the coming year?
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Beautifully articulated post! Thank you.
I especially like the Detox of Media. It’s so tough in this day and age. I have recently engaged much more in FB and LinkedIn, mainly for professional reasons. And it’s nearly impossible to not get distracted by all the noise as you scroll up and down the posts.
I am hoping to detox my negative self-talk. Just doesn’t do any good at all. It’s so patterned and habitual that I barely notice it. So increasing awareness and then mindfully questioning what that kind of talk will bring me is part of my 2016 self project.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts Matt! And I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I love the idea of detoxing self-talk. Noticing old, ingrained patterns and really holding them up for scrutiny is hard but worthwhile!
I forgot to share what I’m “detoxing” in the new year! I am trying to reduce my toxic burden by pausing before reacting when my emotions are high.
Here’s to a more intentional and mindful new year!