We’ve all heard of detoxing the body for health reasons, but what about mental health detox? Has anyone tried this? Or heard of it? Well, it is a thing. An important thing, at that!
Similar to detoxing your body from bad foods and toxins, mental health detox is getting rid of anything that is not bringing you positive vibes and improving your wellness.
Here are a few starter tips for a mental health detox. This will be short and sweet.
Get off of social media if you are on it too much, or avoiding doing things you should be doing, or it is bringing you stress. If it is difficult for you get to sleep at night, put your phone away an hour or two before bed.
Stop overdoing things if you are not taking time for yourself each day. If you don’t have time for yourself, you are doing too much. It’s okay to say no.
Are you watching too much violence on tv or paying too much attention to the political drama? Turn it off!
Is your relationship toxic? Does your relationship help build you up, or is it bringing you down? Fix it! Get rid of it, whatever it is you need to do for a happier mindset.
Do you have unhealthy habits? Is your mind preoccupied with this unhealthy activity? What have you done to improve?
Is your worrying keeping you from enjoying your day or from being productive? If so, get that junk out of your head. It isn’t doing any good in there. Write down what it is you are worrying about and give a time next to each worry. That is the ONLY time you need to be thinking about that worry during the day.
Get moving. Get outside. Get to the gym. Walk around the park or neighborhood. However it is you like to be active, get up and do it. Set an alarm, if necessary, to make sure you are taking time out to exercise during the day. Exercise will improve your mindset and clear your head. It’s great for detox.
Self-reflect. No, I didn’t say ruminate. Self-reflection is much different. Self-reflection is purposefully thinking about events and situations with the goal of learning something, while rumination is thinking over and over and over and over about something that happened in the past or may occur in the future and is often associated with negative emotions. Rumination is a lot of “what ifs,” while self-reflection is asking “what can/have I learned?”
Value your mental space. I have always used the phrase to not let negativity rent space in your head. It just isn’t worth sacrificing your mental well-being. Value your mental space, just like you value your personal space.
Years ago I discovered that watching the news caused my mood to change. I would hear awful stories about crimes against the vulnerable and it really impacted me. I had to turn it off. It just wasn’t worth it to me.
Maybe today is the day to have a mental health detox and improve your overall mental well-being.
The mind is everything. What you think, you become. –Buddha
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