Thursday, August 11, 2016

On Detoxifying A Life

So it turns out that there is more than a small bundle of advice on how to detoxify one's body on the Internet - in fact, there is a plethora of advice.  I have scanned a few programs and the advice seems in general to be the same:

1)  Eliminate the intake of bad things.
2)  Help the body begin to eliminate the bad things that are in it.
3) Create a situation where less bad things get into the body in the future.

There is a lot of other supporting information, like what to eat and what to do, but really that seems to be it.

So the more relevant question:  How do I apply this to my life?  Because while detoxifying my body seems like a fairly straightforward process (in general, I know what I eat) detoxification of the life is something else entirely.

Or is it?  Let us try and take the elements one by one.

1)  Eliminate the intake of bad things:  In life is this not the day to day inputs that I always received - not just the media that I am exposed to but the relationships with others as well and the situations of life which cause things like stress and anger and depression and grief to enter the life.  Can I not also realize what these things are and eliminate them as well?  A hint here, I think, is that anything which leaves me feeling anxious and worse is something I need to avoid (for example, anything remotely discussing current events falls into this area).

2)  Help the life begin to eliminate the bad things that are in it:  In body detoxification (so it seems), the point here is to intake foods and engage in activities that encourage the release of toxins which have been stored up in the body.  In life, this seems to be a less direct application but perhaps there is something if I think about it honestly a bit more.  What is it currently in my life that is creating negativity, depression, and toxicity?  Whatever these things are, I need to let them go.  In the same manner, I need to work with exercises - lists, prayer, meditation - and begin to identify old patterns of behaviour and thought that also need to be exorcised.  These as well must then be released.

3)  Create a situation where less bad things get into the life in the future:  I think this completes the circles back to the first point.  Perhaps I cannot control everything that comes into my life but I control  more of it than I think and I can certainly control how much I allow myself to dwell on it.  I need to release those things quickly, before they get stored up in the reserves of my mind and soul and become embedded there.

I am sure that the detoxification of life is much less obvious than detoxification of the body - after all, how do I rate if my life "feels better" or my mental skin is clearer?  I do know this though - I have the model  of what a toxic life looks like.  If nothing else, I can always use that as the mirror.

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