Oh there are all sorts of recipes and blog posts and books written about detoxing oneself. Do any of them actually work? Who the heck knows. If it makes you feel better to fast or drink only soup or juice then by all means, go for it. I am not a fan of fasting or limiting what I can eat and so I have my own Robin-prescribed-way of detoxing myself.
I can always tell when I need to switch things up in my life. I usually start feeling ‘off’. Something that’s hard to describe but it’s like I’m cranky (more than usual), tired, irritable, bloated, rashy, my stomach hurts, my libido drops and I have zero inspiration to do anything. (Hm, I think I just described it pretty well). When all these things start adding up together and I’m not feeling my normal sparkling self, it’s time for me to do something different. I call it ‘detoxing’ because that’s exactly what I feel like I’m doing.
Last night I made a list (writing things down helps me to gain clarity) of 20 things I need to start doing in order to feel like myself again. These are the things that help me to detox both my body and soul. They feel right. I know they’re good for me and they help me to find myself and bring me back to center. The goal is have them become habits so that I don’t have to feel this ‘off’ before I make changes.
And so, without further ado, here are my ways to detox:
1) No alcohol. Not forever but start with an alcohol-free week and then slowly add it back in. I can tell things are heading south when my alcohol consumption slowly starts increasing. I go from one glass, maybe, a night to 2 or 3.
2) No snacking (if I am hungry, I will have some rosemary-roasted almonds) and eat only home-cooked meals. Or eat out at quality places. No more cheap-ass pizza delivery!
3) Exercise at least 5 days a week, hopefully more. I will get myself moving in the afternoon if I can’t get it done in the morning.
4) More Pilates
5) One both-of-us-sitting-down art project a day with J.
6) Drink more water.
7) Slow down. Pay attention.
8) Read. Write.
9) Change the couch I sit on (not the one in front of the TV), or sit outside. Heck, get outside.
10) Get more sleep, even if it means going to bed earlier.
11) Rediscover my whims. Listen to my brain when it floats one to the forefront of my mind.
12) No, or dramatically reduce, sugar.
13) Drink green tea and avoid black teas. Or drink the Kusmi detox teas (they’re delicious!)
14) Buy less, shop less, save more. There’s a huge peace of mind that comes from putting something into savings every month.
15) Make more love. Sorry dad.
16) Foot massage. Back massage. Tushy massage.
17) Make plans with friends and follow through.
18) Work on new recipes, liven the kitchen up!
19) Did I mention getting outside?
20) Play with J. Leave whatever it is I’m busy doing and get down and play with him when he asks. Laugh more. Be silly. Loosen up.
By doing these 20 things (and anything else that comes to mind), I hope to bring myself back to feeling right, whole and good.
What are some of the ways you detox yourself?