How To Do A Mental Detox

You’ve probably heard of ‘detoxing’ when it comes to your health. While the science behind detox is disputed, the sentiment is a sound one. Improving your health by ridding your body of substances that affect how you feel. Well, it’s about time you gave your mind a detox too.

Modern life can be stressful. Careers, family, kids, and all of the worries that go along with them can make your mind feel like it can never switch off. This can cause a lot of mental stress, which can affect your mental health and manifest itself physically.

What is a mental detox?

Simply put, a mental detox is identifying and removing those things that are bad for your mind, such as negative thoughts, worry, and emotions raised from social media and news. Your mind is just as important as your body. If you have issues with alcohol or substance abuse, you would take steps to stop this and enter a rehab facility in order to regain your health.

Unclutter your digital life

Many of us are connected to the world via our smartphones. However useful they are, they can also cause a lot of stress as we spend more and more time checking social media accounts and doomscrolling the worst parts of the internet.

In order to limit the impact your digital identity has on your mental health, you need to control the information you’re looking at and limit the time you spend on it. Many people recommend a digital detox, which is disconnecting yourself for a period of time, and while this is an excellent idea, you also need to make other changes to feel the benefits.

Start by cleaning out all of your emails and unsubscribing from all but your most read newsletter. You’re probably signed up to hundreds by now. Fewer emails cluttering your inbox is a great thing.

Remove old phone numbers from your contacts list and delete any apps, videos, photos, and podcasts you don’t need.

Last but not least, review your social media. Decide which platforms (if any), you want to remain on. Delete those that you no longer wish to be involved with. On the remaining platforms, remove any friends and acquaintances that are a negative force in your life.

Unfollow accounts that cause you stress, anxiety, envy, or any other negative emotion.

Write down your fears and anger

Do you find yourself dwelling on things? It can take a lot of mental energy. Get a notebook and write down everything that worries or bothers you, no matter how trivial it may seem. The act of putting these down on paper can have a very freeing effect on your mind.

Learn to do nothing

In today’s world, we associate being busy with being productive. This isn’t the case. You can be a constant ball of activity without actually achieving very much. Embrace the art of totally switching off and doing nothing. Read a book, listen to music try and blank your mind and only think about the words or the melody. Or, go the extra step and try outdoor therapy. You can understand how amazing this type of therapy is from the Second Nature Utah Reviews. If you find your mind wandering, start again. You’ll find it easier the more you practice.