How to detox your mind

We may have told you already (a hundred times) but we LOVE lists at UR. So this week, we're dishing up another one. It's a quickie but it may just change the way you look at things, dare we say live.

5 simple ways to feel happier:

1. Don't worry. If a worry pops into your head, ask yourself this question: will worrying about this change the outcome? We're 99.9% sure the answer to this is no. In that case, the conclusion is simple: stop worrying, it's not going to fix the problem. What it will do is waste valuable time and energy.

2. Be happy. Be happy in the guide to 'being happy'. You're probably either a) thinking of shutting down the email at this point or b) thinking we've had one too many green juice. But hang on, there is some logic behind this statement. Have you ever noticed that when you smile and radiate happiness, you get it back, tenfold? It's not rocket science. We all gravitate towards happy people. Sometimes, putting a smile on your face when you aren't feeling so chirpy can draw others towards you and in turn improve your own mood.

3. Less do, more be. You have an 'action list' at work but when it comes to your personal life, do you really have to treat each day like a set of 'tasks' to accomplish? If you're racing from one 'to do' item to the next, you sometimes forget to experience what you're actually doing. Sure, there are some things that don't really require experiencing (like paying your gas bill for instance) but others would be far more memorable (and meaningful) if you actually let yourself exist in the moment whilst they were happening. That phone call to your mum would go a whole lot better if it wasn't just a 'ticked box'. That lunch you gulped down would be digested far more comfortably if you took the time to eat it, mouthful by mouthful. You might even have a more productive afternoon back at the office!

4. Listen. To the person talking, not to your inner chatter. We're all guilty of it – listening to our own thoughts instead of giving the person in front of us our full, undivided attention. The art of really listening is endangered. Nurturing it is the key to good personal and business relationships.

5. Let it be. Let them be to be precise. We're talking about your negative emotions – anger, resentment, fear, jealousy... These toxic emotions clutter the mind, preventing you from moving forward with your life. We all have them however the key is to let yourself experience them fully and then let them fall to the side of their own accord. The more you try to repress them, the more power they hold.

The 5 easy guidelines above will help you to cleanse your mind. Detoxing is not just physical after all.

The mind-body cleanse connection: letting go

Have you ever wondered why you suddenly decide it’s time to cleanse? Time to leave behind the old and make a change? Time to purge and renew?

It’s often hard to tell if it’s your body crying out for some much needed TLC, or if you’ve reached a crossroads where it’s time to make a mental or emotional shift. From our lengthy cleansing experience, we would humbly profess that it’s a little bit of both. Our body is nothing short of a miracle, a fine-tuned machine that picks up on subtle changes in its complex internal environment and sends messages to the different organs accordingly, the brain included.

There is no doubt that how we feel physically is linked to how we feel mentally and emotionally. If you hold on to things emotionally, there is a strong likelihood that you hold onto things, well, physically (not to get too graphic). Allergies can often be connected to emotional sensitivity or repression of some description, resulting in skin eruptions, rashes and inflammatory reactions. Nervous dispositions are prone to digestive upsets, bloating and ‘knots’ in the stomach. Fiery and passionate types suffer from heartburn, sweating and excess ‘heat’ in the body.

And what about toxins? They are the prime example of a mind-body connection. We hold onto physical toxins but also emotional ones. Something might happen in your life that you are unable to ‘digest’ or process in a healthy way, resulting in toxic emotions literally backing up in your body. It’s not uncommon for people to cry when they get a colon cleanse – there’s even a word for it, it’s called a ‘release’. Similarly, when you do a juice cleanse, you are sending physical and emotional toxins on their way, clearing your mind and making room for good health.

So if you feel an urge to cleanse, your body and your mind are sending you a signal. It’s time to let go of something, to inspire change, to rise like a phoenix from the ashes. Or, if you’re not feeling that deep and meaningful, it could just be time to fit into those skinny jeans again. Amen.

Are you toxic?

Take this super easy quiz to find out.

First, answer A, B or C to the following questions:
• A = Often
• B = Sometimes
• C = Never

1. Do you feel tired or sluggish?
2. Do you feel exhausted upon waking?
3. Do you wake between 1am and 3am?
4. Do you suffer from night sweats?
5. Do you suffer from insomnia or poor sleep?
6. Do your energy levels vary dramatically?
7. Do you have trouble staying focused?
8. Do you feel spacey or distant?
9. Do you experience headaches?
10. Do you have bad breath or body odour?
11. Do you get skin breakouts or irritations?
12. Do you suffer from allergies?
13. Do you get colds and flus easily?
14. Do you suffer from gas or bloating?
15. Are you irregular or constipated?
16. Do you experience food intolerances?
17. Do you eat a lot of sugar and/or yeast?
18. Do you eat a lot of meat and/or dairy?
19. Do you eat a lot of processed foods?
20. Do you drink > 2-3 units of alcohol daily?

Then, add up your total score:
• A = 2 points
• B = 1 points
• C = 0 points

And now for the verdict:
0-5: Your body really is a temple – continue to look after it as you are and detox occasionally to maintain your health.

6-29: You’re on the right track but you could feel better. You need a little something to kickstart your body’s own detoxification mechanisms.

30-40: Your body needs a mini-overhaul. You’re finding it hard to feel your best and need to press the re-set button.