Detoxing the 5 Senses
Have you ever heard about someone or been advised to go on a detox? Well, detoxing is usually associated with food and what you eat. However, in this case, I believe that you can detox in several ways. (You can also look at it as was that you can fast.)
[Much of the following information is mentioned on my blog, 5 Things That Helped Deliver From Depression. Feel free to check it out as well.]
Praying, fasting, meditating and everything mentioned above is a part of taking action, there are some tangible things I did as well. I started detoxing my mind and my 5 senses (what I hear, see, smell, taste, and touch).
SMELL- I burnt incense, like myrrh, frankincense, palo santo, and lavender and I boiled oils like spearmint, lemongrass, sage, rosemary, and eucalyptus, and I researched the benefits/effects of certain aromas and utilized it. I specifically liked to sniff the spearmint and eucalyptus lotion from Bath and Body Works and felt some calmness and relief from doing so.
TASTE - I had to slowly alter my taste buds and get away from foods that cloud my head, slow me down, and negatively effect the hormones that control/influence my mood and emotions like foods with MSG, high fructose, mono-, glycerine, and other food additives. At first, I didn't start by taking away all the bad foods, but by adding more good foods. I drank herbal teas, cooked with herbs (like cumin, fennel seeds, tumeric, etc.), made smoothies with superfoods, and eventually took in more nutrition and less bad food. I learned that my body wasn't hungry for food, but for nutrition. The more nutrition I took in, the less hungry I would be, and the more energy, clear head, focus, positive thinking and self control I would have. I specifically took ASHWAGANDHA which majorly helped decrease my depression and bad thoughts. I also occasionally took cascara sagrada (a natural herb) to help detox my body. [Avoid foods with MSG, mono-, high fructose, etc.]
HEAR - I detoxed my hearing by getting rid of negative talk or music. Anyone or any music that brought me down, spoke negatively, cussed or used fowl, aggressive, abusive, or offensive language, I stopped listening to it or them. However, I didn't have much of that in my life anyway. The most negativity I had was in my head so I listened to a lot of motivational speeches and videos on youtube, inspirational music, christian music, gospel music, and a variety of music that felt relatable.
SIGHT - I avoided certain shows, movies, and imagines, and stopped any binge watching and being on social media or spending lots of time taking or editing pics so that I could be in the more moment and invest in more personal time with my daughter, others, nature, and myself. I kept positive posts/words or visuals on the wall or somewhere on me and frequently took in positive sights like a stroll through the flower dept at Kroger, pics of nature online, went to the park, and often went and sat in my car somewhere to just have some space. (Some of my binge shows were Nikita, Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and Game of Thrones. Binge watching is very dangerous. Please do not try this at home! Lol!)
TOUCH/FEEL - First, let me say, "SOMETIMES, YOU JUST HAVE TO CRY. CRY AND PRAY. PRAY AND CRY. CRY AND CRY SOME MORE! OWN IT! LET THE TEARS CLEANSE AND HEAL YOU." That said, I became more self aware of how different things, people, and environments made me feel. Like, what foods, smells, or noises gave me headaches or made me irritable. I also sought out hugs when needed. For example, I'd hug on my daughter or drive to my mom's just to get a hug and then leave. Sometimes I would write, video record, or audio record how I felt.
