Detox your mind in 2010

After a month of excess eating, drinking and burning the candle at both ends, it’s not surprising that by January 2nd (let’s face it, nobody really starts a detox on the 1st!) that the idea of drinking nothing but carrot juice for a week is desirable.

Yes your body probably does need a detox, but do you ever think about what your mind needs? If you allow mental toxins to build, they start to take their toll on you physically, and can severely effect your energy levels. Start the year with my mind detox and make 2010 your strongest year yet.

What’s on your mind?

There are the obvious worries, like a difficult boss or financial fears that plague us, but there may be smaller things that seem insignificant, yet still cause you unnecessary moments of niggling stress, like a missing button from your favourite jacket.

Write down everything that is on your mind. When you think you have finished, force yourself to keep going – you will be amazed at what comes out. This should feel like the binge before the detox, you are getting everything off your chest and more importantly identifying where changes need to take place.

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What is your desired outcome?

Run down your list and by each woe write down the positive outcome you are looking for. So for example, if you have listed an aching tooth as bothering you, then the desired outcome would surely be to have a healthy tooth. Make sure these are written as wholly positive, for example ‘not hurting’ is still focussing too much on the negative.

Strategy

You wouldn’t embark on a detox without having some kind of plan, and the same goes for cleansing the mind. You now know what bothers you, and how you want it to be, so the next step is to work out the steps to achieve this change.

The best way to do this is what I like to call ‘fast forward and look back’. So if your goal is to sort out your finances, fast forward to having achieved this. Now imagine you are looking back at what you had to do to get there, starting with the step immediately beforehand, which might have been to save your financial year goal spread sheet.

Work your way backwards in minute steps, right the way to your current status, so that your first step might be something as simple as braving unopened bills.

Date it

Put aside a day to complete all the smaller tasks, and set a realistic time scale for the more long-winded ones. Write this day in your diary - the sooner the better. Just the same as you might spend a day at home or at a spa for detoxing, devote the whole day to clearing these mental toxins.

Circle of control

If you find that there are some things that worry you on a continual basis, but seem out of your control, it is time to accept this. Ask yourself why these are worrying you, maybe there is another reason, which may lead you to something you can change yourself. If something IS totally out of your circle of control, let it go - you have far more important things to spend your energy on.

Prevent future build-up

Going forward, having cleared your bank of mind toxins, you can have a positive new outlook. Affirmations are a great way to push out the old and start anew. “I choose to be positive and energetic” is a great mantra to keep you on the straight and narrow and prevent things from getting to you.

Beware of unnecessarily allowing worries to build up - putting off phone calls is a common one. Always tackle the undesirable tasks first, tick them off your list and your mind will be free to concentrate on the more pleasing things in life, giving you a sense of achievement, freedom from worry and an abundance of energy.

Georgina Burnett, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine