The Good Energy Series: Detoxifying Your Life

The time has come to exterminate the poison from your life – from the private thoughts you carry into the shower, to your bedroom conversations, to the contents of your pantry. Because you are either empowered or paralyzed by the thoughts you think, the words you speak, the foods you eat and the energy you keep.

If you want to make changes, you’ve got clean up what you entertain, dream about and do.

Detoxify Your Beliefs

What we believe becomes like a movie projection of the world we experience, and we either make a romance or a horror of it. We will either project the drama of our fears, inadequacies and judgments, or the playfulness of our curiosities, inspirations and joys. Everything we hear, read and watch is filtered through the lens of our perceptions. And, these perceptions spring from nothing but our deepest beliefs. It creates a cycle – one that is vicious, or one of perceived fortune and magic.

But it begins within.

It’s been said that when Christopher Columbus arrived to the Caribbean Islands, the Native Americans didn’t see the ships because their brains did not recognize them. The ships were, allegedly, invisible to them because the objects existed outside of the realm of their knowledge.

In the same way, our brains cannot recognize a golden opportunity, a stroke of luck or a loving mate if our beliefs are not fluent in the language of those things. They will be invisible–perhaps brushing against us, but passing by like a ghost in the night. Because if your mind isn’t a safe haven, neither will be your life.

Detoxify your eating…

Isn’t it interesting that we are so mindful with babies and young children, yet negligent with ourselves? We shield our children from our shouting matches. We don’t allow chemicals to touch their skin. And we don’t dare feed them contaminated foods.

Yet, in the next breath, we’re ordering a steaming plate of toxic junk to further contaminate our own cells. Once we reach a certain age, we discard the notion of care and caution – stamping our preciousness with an expiration date.

But, this is dead wrong.

Beginning from this moment to one year in the future, you will have recycled 98 percent of all matter in your body. Every day you stand before your mirror, in fact, you are staring at entirely different skin than you had a month ago. In six weeks from this moment, you will be steward of a brand-spanking-new liver. So, the body you’re gazing upon is your 2018 model (or whatever year this article may find you). But even if you treated your models of the past as gravel-road-loving clunkers, you can begin treating this one like a top-of-the-line Ferrari.

Look to Ayurveda for optimal nutrition…

There is transformative wisdom in Ayurveda, and I recommend determining your unique constitution in order to learn more about the foods and practices that affect the chemistry of your body. You may be shocked by its accuracy. For example, my constitution is Pitta, which means I often overheat. I have an ambitious personality with a tendency to burn the candle at both ends and experience red-hot annoyance when out of balance. I am also prone to inflammation. My body thrives on cooling and pacifying foods such as coconut, kale, apples and oatmeal.

Once you understand what you need, you can then begin to approach each meal with the question: “How may I be kind to my body today?” This is not about living longer per se, but more about being fully alive and happy before the living is done.

Detoxify your living space…

One of the most powerful things you can do is purify your home, stripping it of old and stale energy. Purging and rearranging  – from the art to the furniture to the old love letters – creates an actual and measurable shift in the energetic field.

One by one, cleanse every room of all things that conjure irritation or disturbance in you. Repair that squeaky door and donate those ugly green plates you never liked anyway. Get rid of the books you have no interest in reading and toss out the dress that never flattered your shape.

There is no reason to “hang on” to anything – whether it be a belief, a rug, a handbag or pair of heels – which lures you into a trap door of negative memories. If your home is chaotic, your mental state will reflect that. But, if your home is joyful and filled with your favorite things, your energetic state will respond to the nature of a better song. 

Music is powerful energy, so consider detoxifying your playlists…

I once viewed songs as vast bodies of water inviting me to splash around in toxic emotions. There were stretches of time so disheartening that listening to uplifting music gave me such uncomfortably foreign wings, it agitated me.  This was because the energy of the brighter music had a stark contrast to my energy at that time.

Music is powerful energy. If you have been going through a gloomy period, fill your speakers with music that match the kind of emotional energy you wish to experience. If you feel small, choose an empowering anthem. If you feel empty or uninspired, choose something dreamy or soulful. It may feel unnatural at first, but before long, it will have tricked you out of your black hole.

Detoxify your relationships…

Now is the time to not only pull these weeds, but to cleanse your energy of them.

Sadly, some people are so unhappy, they are determined to spread their unhappiness to others. They will suck your light while spewing the venom of their negativity – demanding that you taste of their poison. They want their misery to be acknowledged, validated and known. Oftentimes these energy-suckers are unaware of the magnitude of the damage they bestow upon others; they may be trying to feel less alone.

Send your expirations on their way, but avoid the drama…

I often read social media posts and articles encouraging others to shoot bullet holes through the relationships gone wrong. But, making bridge-burning efforts to sever ties only serves to invite more energy like itself. It certainly doesn’t breed compassion. That is the opposite of what we want.

The most effective way to cleanse our lives of septic relationships is to stop giving them power. If there is a trouble-maker in your world – whether it be a co-worker or a lover, the best response is to stop playing along with their dirty games. Because if engaging with someone means a betrayal of your health in any way – from abusing your time to breaking your trust to swallowing up your peace of mind, you owe it to yourself to stop the madness.  That stirring of unease you feel around them is the language of vibration, and it’s waving red flags of danger. This is a warning you must obey.

But remember: There is no need to sound any drums, set any bridges to fire or leave claw marks across anyone’s name. Doing so will always invite more of the same.

So, make no room for the drama and all of the room for sweet and compassionate surrender. You’ll breathe better without them, but untangle with compassion and a lightness of being.

Make plenty of space for daily detoxification and rejuvenation…

This world is constantly presenting us with offerings of chaos, therefore I recommend committing to a daily detoxification and recharging ritual. Choose one you will passionately look forward to. It could be burning incense and meditating in a cozy window seat. It could be a cup of coffee, a journal and a pen early in the morning before the rest of the house comes to life. Or, perhaps, your idea of cleansing is an hour spent sweating over a yoga mat.

My favorite ritual is quality time spent with my bathtub at night. It is where I lay my burdening questions down. I fully permit myself to get into the experience – with essential oils, bubble bath, a mug of something lovely and occasionally music. It’s where I surrender, recharge and pray. Sometimes, during the day when something overwhelms me, I tell myself, “Let’s just save this monster for the bathtub.”

Because when I dip into the warmth of my sanctuary, the monster always melts away into resolve.