6 Ways to Detox Your Spirit

Have you ever done a diet detox? Special diets, cleanses, and juice fasts are all the rage. Health magazines are filled with articles about cleanses and programs to detox the body. But what about a program to detox your spirit?

Let’s face it, lately we’ve been bombarded with the sort of headlines and daily news that can make our own nightmares seem tame. Taking in too much of this news can create low-levels of anxiety or even depression. And when we spend too much time in this low level state, we can unwittingly spread the negativity like a virus to those around us.

For highly sensitive people, many of us tend to pick up the collective energy of others. This is why we must be vigilant about creating boundaries and keeping our spirits cleansed of negative energy as much as possible.

Here are some tips for a spiritual detox:

Spend time with positive people.

During times of crisis or change, times when the entire world feels upside down, it is important to seek out those who can lift you up. So many people are focused on what’s wrong in the world–seek out the people who see what is right to counter-balance the negativity you may be feeling. The truth is, we can always find people who can commiserate with us about the woes of the world. So find that friend, co-worker, or stranger who finds hope, like a silver lining, in even the darkest of circumstances, and be open to looking at the world through a different lens.

Take salt baths.

I do this regularly….and it helps to wash away toxins and negativity. You can buy expensive bath salts or use Epson salts. I like them both.

Listen to inspirational shows instead of the news first thing in the morning.

I listen to Hay House Radio almost every morning for healing programs on health, spirit, meditation and more. I learn something new every day, and start my morning in a positive life affirming way.

Limit reality shows and violent dramas.

With the popularity of Real Housewives and binge watching of shows like Breaking Bad and Dexter, we are exposing our spirits to toxic levels of cruelty and calling it entertainment. I’ve done it myself. I know when I watch too many of these programs I feel tense and quick to anger. If ever there was a truism about taking on negative energy, I see it here.

Take off your shoes and ground yourself.

Walk outside without your shoes and spend some time with your bare feet on the grass. The energy from the earth is healing and can help to rebalance your own energies. And it feels great.

There are so many things we can do to focus our attention on joy to release our stress or anxiety. We can volunteer and help others. Meditate. Pray. Move more. Run, dance, play tennis, have sex, sweat out the stress toxins the old-fashioned way–through exercise. Studies prove exercise raises your serotonin levels, which will make you feel better, more hopeful.

Energy is real and anyone who has ever walked into a room after a couple has had a fight can feel the tension. We feel energy transmitted through the television, through the body language of others, through words, through music. So it becomes crucial, in this 24-7 news cycle, that we be conscious of what we say, how we carry ourselves, even what we read or share on Twitter and on Facebook, so we don’t expose ourselves to too many harmful toxins. And while we can’t live in bubbles, we can take responsibility for not spreading energy viruses ourselves.

With this said, I do want to be clear about this: we are citizens of the world and we do have responsibilities to one another. Being educated about the news and important causes–being a spiritual activist–is important.

As much as we might want to hide away from the ugly reality of war, pain and suffering, we can’t expect others to do the heavy lifting all of the time. We must find what moves us so we can make this world better–even if the world is our own tiny family or ZIP code.

Which leads me to one of the most important steps for cleansing the spirit.

Take action.

It’s fine to read about tips to detox your spirit or improve your life. But the greatest spiritual truth, as I know it, involves taking action and responsibility. So first, take the actual steps, be it salt baths, meditation, prayers, exercise, or inspirational books or people, to help cleanse your spirit. Then turn it into more meaningful action.

Use kind words when you talk to others. Be patient with co-workers or people who annoy you in the grocery store, spread messages of hope, volunteer at the animal shelter, donate to a war-torn country or to those organizations such as Doctors Without Borders who are having a hand in healing in these war-torn countries.

I think much of the anxiety or sense of hopelessness that gets triggered by the news is rooted in our feelings of helplessness. That’s why I believe positive action is needed to combat the stress of daily life in a world gone askew.

Sick of the terrorists on the evening news? Hug your child, help a neighbor, and do whatever you can to eradicate anger and violence around you. Detox what is toxic in your own life and in your immediate surroundings.

This would be the best cleanse of all. Love-in-action makes for a powerful healing balm, the kind that is needed today to help cleanse our minds, spirits, and world.

If you’re interested in more thoughts on integrity, compassion and grace, particularly at midlife, read my book Tao Flashes.  Or visit me at www.facebook.com/taoflashes or on twitter @taoflashes.