“Emotional Detox - Spring Cleaning For The Soul”

Winter is over. Spring is here. The trees outside my window are full of fresh new buds. The spring flowers in the garden are beginning to bloom and here in northern New England new life surrounds us. But what about our inner selves? Are we hung up on unresolved issues? Are we stuck in the past so we can’t enjoy the present? Have we stored up toxic feelings or emotional conflicts that make us sluggish and dull, unhappy people, unable to experience the new life of another spring? Is it time to ‘Spring Clean’ our souls?

All too often we travel through life sweeping emotional issues under the carpet or closed off on a shelf behind a closet door. These unresolved issues and emotional baggage will eventually affect all aspects of our lives and can result in a variety of physical symptoms and even serious illnesses.

Recognizing and confronting this internal garbage opens up doors to wonderful new opportunities. However, for this to happen we need to rid ourselves of poisonous, negative thoughts and toxic emotions. But, frequently we are unable to make it all happen without directions or guidance.

Here are some suggestions to help all of us ‘spring clean’ our souls and renew our inner selves.

1. Find a friend or mentor as a guide. If possible link up with a support or mastermind group where you will be comfortable sharing and growing together.

2. Accept that this process will require specific action steps. It will require time, commitment, and work. It will not happen simply by saying, “Bad thoughts go away.”

3. Set a duration for this activity. The Mental Cleanse group that I participate in recommends a 30 day process for renewal. We can’t undo a lifetime of emotional toxicity in just a couple days.

4. Begin by turning off all of the negative influences that surround us every minute of every day. Turn off the radio and the television, cancel the newspaper for a month, block the computer pop ups and the news headline announcements, put away the magazines and story novels, and seek ways to escape from all energy-draining conversations.

5. Now, fill this new empty vacuum of sound and thought with positive affirmations. Select a good motivational book and read for understanding and growth. Set aside a quiet time in a quiet place every day for reading and meditation. Go inside yourself and listen to the messages you find there.

6. Begin to take ownership of the toxic emotions in your life. For a mental cleanse or emotional detox to be successful we must accept responsibility for those negative feelings which we have been holding onto for such a very long time.

7. Name each specific feeling, such as anger, fear, sadness, loneliness, shame, disappointment. Identify and describe by using starter phrases such as, “I feel ______ .” or, “I am _________.”

8. Listen to how our bodies react as we name each negative feeling. Be aware of the reactions and use these physical sensations as part of the detox process. The energy of any emotion or feeling must be re-directed from a negative reaction into something positive for this process to continue.

9. Write what you are experiencing as you move through this renewal experience. Keep a journal, write a daily letter to yourself, or just jot down a series of notes, but somehow record your thoughts and feelings as you change and grow. Share these with your mentor or a trusted friend if you are comfortable doing so.

10. Let go of the negative feelings. Set the emotion free and release yourself from its grip. Find your own way to do this. Perhaps it will be writing it down and watching that piece of paper burn, throwing a stone into the waves, a dance or music ritual special to you. Do whatever will be symbolic and meaningful - something that you can remember and return to, if that negative feeling comes again to haunt you some time in the future.

Emotional release and personal growth require conscious awareness, commitment, and consistent daily effort. It is hard work. Recognize this and reward yourself for every victory as you make this renewal journey.

What a wonderful joy when the ‘Spring Cleaning’ is complete. Rejoice in your success and move forward with new energy and a renewed creative ability. But, do also recognize that life is a series of seasons, a cyclical spiral. At some future date, you will return once again to ‘Spring Clean’ your soul for further growth and renewal. Life is a process, not a moment in time, and we continue to grow from the time of our birth until we leave this earth at the end of our lives. Spring is a time for renewal. A Time to Celebrate and Grow.

Does Your Soul need ‘Spring Cleaning’?