Why it’s important to detox your life? Let’s face it, not only our bodies are full of toxins, but our entire life is also. Often, we take on more than we have to without realizing the dire effect that it has on our lives. We live in a fast, ever-changing world and the very need to detox your life is a result of a busy, overscheduled and overwhelmed lifestyle that miraculously has been accepted by most people as a norm. You can learn how to detox your life in a week with these simple and healthy steps to follow.
How to Detox Your Life in 1 Week
1. Single-Use Plastic Must GO!
Eight million tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans each year, killing and harming marine life –– the single-use plastic is one of the biggest and most devastating environmental and social issues facing us today.
Yes, single-use plastic like water bottles, coffee cup lids, straws, and many other products is part of our everyday lives and is a useful material but after we’ve used it and tossed it away, it’s causing big problems for our planet.
This is why initiatives like Breaking the Plastic Habit led by Canary Wharf Group is an outstanding example; it’s a 12-month campaign launched in response to this global threat that will create a new culture of reduction, re-use, and recycling to challenge single-use plastic.
So why not look around and see how you can reduce your plastic footprint?
2. Screen Time: for Everything, we Pay with our Time
Living in a technology fuelled world, when you check your Twitter and Instagram feed first thing in the morning while still being horizontal in bed makes cutting screen time seem like an impossible thing to do.
It’s getting increasingly hard to draw a line between work and home life now that we are so over-connected and just one ping away from jumping onto the next fire we need to put out at all hours; when you feel overwhelmed yet obliged to respond to everyone in a matter of a second; this is when work bleeds into your life and it affects your wellbeing more than you can imagine. This is when you need to take back control.
So why not try switching to reading a great fiction book giving your mind a much-needed instead of catching up on the latest Netflix series?
3. We’re What We Eat. Let’s Get Better at it.
When it comes to detoxing from poor nutrition –– it’s purely about paying attention and recognizing how certain foods make you feel.
While we have nothing against Pizza Nights, we are also active supporters of ensuring that we feed our bodies with nutrient-dense foods because balance is key in this instance.
So why not try a new colorful recipe a couple of days a week and see what difference it makes. Especially if you’ve been feeling unwell lately with low mood and lacked vitality for day to day activities.
A balanced diet with the right combination of vitamins and minerals plays a vital role in mental wellbeing. Getting enough vitamins and minerals is essential to balance your mood.
Keep yourself healthy and happy on a diet that draws on a balance of all food groups (starchy carbohydrates; fruit and vegetables, dairy; meat and fish; fat and sugar)
Vitamins and minerals to boost your mood:
- Folic acid (from broccoli, asparagus, and peas) helps tackle fatigue, confusion, and irritability.
- Vitamin B12 (from meat, salmon, milk, eggs and yeast extract). Severe deficiency results in loss of memory, mental dysfunction.
- Vitamin C (from peppers, broccoli, oranges, and kiwi fruit). High dose Vitamin C supplements have been shown to reduce depression.
- Selenium (from brazil nuts, bread, fish, meat and eggs) for improved mood
- Zinc (from meat shellfish, dairy and cereal products). Depression is a common symptom of zinc deficiency.
- Omega-3 (fatty fish, eggs, nuts, and seeds). Deficiency is thought to be responsible for increased incidents of depression and anxiety.
Here’s a helpful PDF brought to you by Kelly Brogan MD that will help you get started on your journey towards better nutrition: change your food and heal your mood.
4. Detoxify Your Immediate Environment
Whether this manifest itself in the form of your work desk, your wardrobe or your bedroom, your immediate environment and space often reflect your current state of mind. Look around, what do you see?
Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that the air within our homes is polluted and that illness caused by exposure to these pollutants is a serious threat to our health.
Neuroscientists at Princeton University assessed the effect of an organized versus disorganized environment on people’s task performance. The results showed that we are distracted by the surrounding mess, leading to decreased attention span and poorer performance.
Another study found a link between high levels of the stress hormone cortisol and a high density of household objects. This could be because the presence of excess stuff sends subconscious signals to yourself that you don’t have your life under control, with a knock-on-effect on self-esteem.
Look around. Does your environment seems to be cluttered and begs to detox your home?
Set aside at least 20 minutes each week and be ruthless: ditch any junk.
5. People
This is perhaps the hardest thing you can do when you want to detoxify your life: getting rid of toxic people in your life.
Other people in our lives have an incredible power to make us happy and unhappy. As a prime source of both positive and negative emotions, the company we choose to keep is vital for our wellbeing.
Surround yourself with like-minded people because like-minded people who lift us up, inspire and encourage us are the best people to have on our ‘support’ team. On the other hand, those who casually bring us down, demoralize and discourage us are not.
It’s worth to have a friend-audit from time to time to consider who ––after having spent time with them –– leaves you feeling emotionally drained and who on a contrary leaves you with a warm and fuzzy feeling of gratitude to have them in your life. Cherish those people and friendships with them.
So why not reduce the time you spend with people who drain your energy dry and instead invest your time in those who boost it?
photo source | pexels + giphy