The world we live in can feel very toxic. From worrying about toxic products to stressing about toxic thoughts we can find ourselves hyper-focused on the idea of life being toxic. This is so prevalent Britney Spears even wrote a song about it. We may feel we do not have the knowledge or wisdom to change our patterns. We may think the word “detoxify” means we have to take drastic actions that can seem very overwhelming to think about. The great news is there are many ways to detoxify our homes, our communities, and ourselves. With some simple actions we can feel better about ourselves and our role in the wider world. What areas of your life do you want to detoxify?
One area we can explore is our own homes, The choices we make about the products we buy and use can make a big impact. You do not have to do a total refit of your house all at once. Instead, start with a small but meaningful action. For example, you might start with reusable grocery bags or sandwich bags, to decrease the amount of plastic you use. You might choose to buy nontoxic Baby Wipes for your children. You might look at how you can get your electricity from renewable sources. There are millions of choices that you make every day and the impact of these choices tend to add up surprisingly quickly.
Another area we can detoxify is our own thoughts and emotions. When we take a moment to pause we will find that for many of us the words and thoughts that are going through our minds are not kind towards ourselves. We tend to see all our flaws and struggle to see our own strengths. It is important that we take time to declutter our minds so we can unbury the wonder that is our lives. This might look like working with a therapist on trauma we have experienced. This might look like being mindful of our thoughts and feelings. This could also look like creating an environment that will decrease negative thoughts. The more organized you can make your home the more at ease you will feel in it and the more able you will be able to ignore toxic thoughts as they come up. You are amazing and how are you going to make sure that you remember you are awesome?
Finally we can work on detoxing our wider communities. This might look like reaching out to individuals who are struggling and asking how you can help. This might look like being kind on social media and not allowing ourselves to tear down others via tweets or Facebook messages. This might look like getting involved in local social justice and environmental justice issues and concerns. This might look like running for elected office so you can be in a position to make a positive change in your local community.
In what feels like a toxic world it can seem impossible to find our balance and equilibrium. We may start to doubt ourselves or doubt the good in other people. We may feel tempted to put our heads in the sand and hide away from our problems and that which is toxic in our lives. The good news is while we may be tempted we can overcome the temptation by finding small ways to detoxify our homes, communities, and ourselves. Toxicity in any form has no place in your life. What are you going to do to give yourself a clean slate to work with? What are you going to do to make sure you are able to thrive inside and out?
