Have you ever done a mind detox? If not, it’s the best time to try this powerful exercise in 3 steps. Why now? Because winter is gone.

With spring knocking on our doors, a cheerful feeling starts to fill our beings. Well, I’m talking about those of us who live in places where winter blues are a real thing, not a song title.

The sun is starting to shine brighter and warmer, the skies are clearer and that particular shade of blue that we only see in spring, nature is waking up and becoming greener by the day. One by one, our layers of clothing are being shed and more skin is exposed, windows are staying open for longer to let the sun rays in and the birds’ chirping is delighting our hearing. An awakening of the senses …

The Ultimate Practice

With that feeling of warmth inside, that smile in the corner of the mouth and that glitter in the eyes, it’s time for a full-on detox. Oh, but I don’t mean your home, your closets, your drawers, just like I don’t mean the inside or outside of your body. I mean your mind …

Regardless of whether you meditate daily, every now and again it is helpful to do a proper mind detox. Just like you do with your body, even though you do wash it every day, don’t you? Curious how that works? As easy as 1, 2, 3!

Mind Detox Exercise Step-by-Step

1. Dump It!

Buy a notebook specifically for this mind detox. Sit down with a cup of tea, something calming like camomile or sage. Light a scented candle or burn some scents and start writing aimlessly, as thoughts come to you. They don’t have to make sense, they don’t have to fall nicely into carefully curated sentences. It’s not an essay and it’s for your eyes only. Keep writing till there’s nothing else and then go on for a little bit longer.

Laugh, cry, scream, swear, do whatever you feel like doing whilst the words come to you. Don’t pay attention what or whom are the words about, it’s not relevant.

All that matters, is to empty your mind of everything that needs to go. Stand up, move around and then sit down again for another round of brain dumping;

2. Burn it!

Once all of that is out of your mind, go to the bathroom or the kitchen and set the notebook on fire, either in the bathtub or in a deep soup pan, so that you make sure there’s no danger in setting anything else on fire. If you have a fireplace (real one, not gas one) or an outdoor barbeque, then that’s even better.

Let it burn and feel how all of that heaviness that you unloaded is going away, leaving you feeling lighter and refreshed. Stay with that feeling and register it, so you can go back to it whenever you have the tendency to sink into negativity.

Please note that if you are unsure or feel uncomfortable to light the notebook on fire, then shred it to pieces with your bare hands. It’s just as cathartic as it is burning it.

3. Flush it!

To complete the mind detox, throw away the ashes or the shredded paper in the toilet and flush it.

It’s a very powerful way of completing this action and giving your mind a strong signal that all that clutter is gone forever. Allow that liberating feeling to fill your being from within and celebrate with a dance of joy. Let the spring begin!

Note: You can repeat this process every few weeks or whenever you feel burdened or overwhelmed by a situation.

Variation:

You can pick one thing that keeps you in overthinking mode – whether it’s about you or someone else, pick one thing that really triggers you and do a similar brain dump, but this time with a focus on that particular issue. Write down everything, from how it makes you feel to how you feel about it.

The Trick

There’s a trick in making the difference between the two.

If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, then start writing with “it … me” until you exhaust all that it makes you feel.

Then continue with “I feel … “, and go on till there’s no more of it inside.

Keep going, don’t stop the first time it feels like that’s all. That’s when you forge forward asking yourself “what else?” as many times as necessary. It works every time.

Enjoy your spring mind detox!

SparkYourBloom Today and Everyday!