The Detox Method

Have you ever felt like you needed to just get rid of things, people, and even memories from your life? Don't lie. I know you have. It's a normal and healthy process. It's just like spring cleaning. Quite frankly, if you don't then you would be considered a hoarder and we have all seen how they turn out to be. I felt that way yesterday and so as an introductory welcome I want to talk about that. It ties in to wanting a new beginning and starting a new beginning, in life, in mind, and in blogging.

About a month ago, I was scrolling through Pinterest (my guilty pleasure) liking and pinning recipes and wellness posts when I came across this article about detoxing. At first, I shamefully admit, that I thought this had something to do with someone who had been exposed to kryptonite and needed to be detoxified at an undisclosed location in the Arizona desert however, upon further review, I realized that this was just what I needed. I clicked on the post and read through it. It seemed easy. It chronicled how to execute a successful detox process which will rid your body of unwanted toxins in your own home with very simple and inexpensive items:

• Epsom salt which replenishes magnesium levels and aids in creation of proteins in the joints
• baking soda which has great cleansing abilities and anti-fungal properties
• ground ginger which increases heat levels and stimulates the sweat glands
• aromatherapy oils which have therapeutic properties

I decided I might as well give it a try. I gathered up my ingredients, filled up the garden tub, popped in a Maxwell CD, turned off the lights, and lit up a BBW chamomile candle. I stayed in the tub for 45 minutes (thank you Siri for timing me.) After 5 minutes I began to sweat, A LOT. It was crazy! I kept my eyes closed and I could feel the constant beads of sweat jumping off my forehead (I swear I heard one scream "CANON BALL!") Any who, I really began to feel relaxed and noticeably better than when I first got in. It was hard to finish, though! 45 minutes in darkness with only candle light and soft music ends up not being so "nice" for many of us especially myself. I kept moving and shifting. It almost seemed like I was in a hyperbaric chamber. It's not that hard to really "lose your mind" if you just let go. To have to go through that seemed more like torture than a therapeutic cleansing. I basically had to focus on thoughts of my youth to get through it and once I found something to latch on to it was easy. The next thing I knew, I was gasping for air because I dozed off and slowly slid under the water! I gained my composure, laughed it off and finished my detox.

I must say that  this was something that I didn't expect. When I got out of the tub, it felt like a spiritual catharsis and I had to write about this. However, where would I write about it? Myspace is practically non-existent, Twitter was too short, Facebook was too self-absorbed, Instagram was obsessed with memes, and email (well who reads that?) I decided I should try a blog. A new beginning in a seemingly "new body" should yield a new beginning on yet another social networking medium where I can express my thoughts in paragraphs rather than characters and Emoji.

Seriously, however, this really made me think about how we experience new beginnings all the time. We are always reorganizing, rejuvenating, reinvigorating, and rethinking the concept of ourselves. We mark those moments with a new hair cut, a new wardrobe, a new significant other. Every little change that makes us feel differently and stay feeling that way qualifies us as having a new beginning. It's quite amazing! Who says we can't be reborn? The detox flushed out the things in my body that were making me sick, stressed, and less productive which made me feel like a new and improved person. Well an improved person. How can something be new AND improved? Today I feel totally different in a good way, like I could conquer the world if it weighed 20 lbs. less than me kind of way.

Today, as I stare at this 23' computer screen, I see the same things with the same eyes that I have seen Monday-Thursday however I approach them differently. I'm more attuned, vested, and attentive to what I'm seeing and how I respond to it. It could be that detox is, simply put, a placebo. A process that I initiate that gives me the moxie to complete it and feel differently after it's done. Who cares, though? A load of rubbish or not, I do feel differently and I encourage you to do the same. Feel differently about everything. When we feel differently about something or look at it from a different perspective we get to be someone else and think like someone else because it's not how we normally think and perceive things. This enriches the bond that we have with our other earthling counterparts. Interesting huh? Not as interesting as the Icicle of Death, but nonetheless it does carry some weight.

Though we always say we want to sit and ponder and reflect on the things that we need to add, subtract, and clear from our lives, have you ever tried doing so? Really, have you tried sitting down at the kitchen table or lying in bed and really reflecting without the distractions of cell phones, tablets, TV, radio, or another person? It's really hard! Even with all those distractions not there to distract you, we find it difficult to stop thinking about those distractions or simply wander away from the topic at hand because we are too connected to technology or we are scared to go to that place of self-discovery. There are many ways to detox and I for one feel that this should be a necessary routine in every one's life. Hmmm. This would make for a great play. Any who, here is to the completion of my first blog. I want to end my very first blog with a bang and I intend to do so, so here it goes... BANG.