Detoxing Your Mind

LIVING WITH NEGATIVE thoughts and emotions – such as fear, anger, resentment or envy – can be just as toxic to your body as car fumes or cigarette smoke. Your mind and body are inextricably linked. And, increasingly, health experts are recognizing the role negative thoughts play in ill health. The immune system, for example, is often hit hard during times of emotional upset.

The biggest source of emotional toxins is stress. Every time you experience a stressful situation your body releases a cocktail of chemicals – including cortisol and adrenaline – which raises your heart rate, blood pressure and metabolism. This response evolved in prehistoric times, when the source of stress was likely to have been a sabre-toothed tiger looking for lunch. The hormones released provided the impetus to either fight the foe or take flight. Today, the causes of stress are not always so clear cut. Consequently it is not always possible to deal with stress in the way that early man did, and your body may not rid itself of the excess hormones. Over time, long-term chronic stress can result in a build-up of unused toxic hormones and internal pollution. This weakens the immune system and can cause fatigue, headaches, allergies, skin and respiratory problems, anxiety, depression and a host of other complaints, which in turn affects your body’s ability to deal with toxins.

However, not all stress is bad for you. A certain amount of stress is beneficial: it helps you to meet deadlines and take on new challenges, helps you to juggle family and work and sharpens your senses. Stress can be exhilarating and exciting. This type of stress is called eustress, and without it life would be very dull indeed.

The most important thing to remember about stress is that whether or not a situation becomes distressing depends on how you handle it. Everyone handles stress differently. Some cope better than others. The key is being able to tap into stress and use its positive force to your advantage. To make stress work for rather than against you, you need to he able to switch at will from a stressed to a relaxed state. This is where a detox can help. It gives you the opportunity to take time out and totally relax your mind.

Poor sleep can also affect your body’s toxin load. While you sleep your body is busy repairing damaged tissues and cells and producing the antibodies that make up the immune system. If this process is compromised by chronic insomnia, your body’s ability to deal with waste is also hampered. A detox is a wonderful opportunity to give yourself time to rest and, hopefully, sleep, allowing your body to get on with the job of healing itself. As you wind down, you may feel more tired than usual. The important thing is to listen to your body – and if you feel tired, then sleep.

Positive thinking improves your everyday quality of life – suddenly nothing seems so difficult any more.

Mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness.

Positive thinking, self-esteem and mental agility are vital to keeping yourself detoxed of negative feelings. Instead of getting trapped in a downward spiral you can learn how to turn any negative into a huge positive.

If you know what you want in life and how to go about getting it, everything you do will be to your advantage. If you know how to clear out the stuff that gets in the way of your true goals, you will have more space to think about yourself Thinking about yourself isn’t selfish, because if you are happy and contented with your thoughts then you can pass that happiness and contentment on to others. Laughter is catching, and so is moaning, and we all know which one we would prefer to catch.

If everyone knew more about themselves, and what they wanted in life, the world would be a great place, because everyone would help each other out just by getting on with it.

Start doing the following five exercises every day and see how good it feels:

1. Write a list

Before you go to sleep each night, write a list of things you need to do tomorrow, in order of priority.

Writing a list will help you sleep better at night because you will have relieved your mind of the ‘I must remember to … ‘ pressure. You will also be able to prioritise your most important tasks and you will feel satisfied once you have completed them and ‘crossed them off your list’ (literally).

2. Smile

Smile at everything that deserves a smile and see how many times your smile is returned.

Smiling makes you feel good – it can make a bad or unhappy situation into a good or happy one.

3. Take a break and ‘smell the roses’

Be aware of everything around you for the next hour. Don’t just walk past the flowers thinking they probably smell nice – actually stop and enjoy the fragrance. Don’t just look at the view and think you have seen it a thousand times – actually look at it and see what has changed and what is good. Don’t chew your food and think of your next meeting – actually chew the food and enjoy the taste and texture. Is it crunchy, is it sweet, is it soft or is it spicy? Chew the food and taste the difference.

4. Tell someone you think they are great

You probably often think that people around you are good at something, look particularly well, that their perfume smells nice or they have been really helpful. Well, say it to them. Tell them they look good, tell them they have been helpful, tell them you think they are good at something.

Everyone knows how nice it feels to get a compliment so make someone’s day and let them know what you are thinking. It feels just as good to give a compliment as it docs 10 receive one.

5. Change a negative Into a positive

Whenever anything goes wrong or is annoying, find three ways to make it positive.

For instance, I miss the bus and will be late for work:

1. I will call the office and tell them when I expect to get in so no one wonders where I am.

2. I will go to the supermarket until the next bus is due.

3. I will cook a lovely meal with the food I bought and invite a friend for an impromptu evening.

I catch the next bus and feel good.

You see – three steps to change a bad into a good.

Happiness and positive thinking bring personal success and personal success brings happiness. Get some peace and contentment – detox your mind.