Happy New Year from all of us at She’s a Full on Monet! 2020 was a train wreck full of bad vibes, so today we are going to cast them off. It’s time for a full detox, people — body, mind, and soul! Here’s how to start the New Year off right and make 2021 better than the dumpster fire of 2020.
Detox Your Body
And no, I’m not talking about starting the newest fad diet or going on a month-long juice cleanse. This isn’t about losing weight or inches — it’s about physically feeling amazing and getting rid of all those toxins in your body. How you feel physically affects every aspect of your life — mental health, motivation, productivity, etc., so it’s really important to keep your body in tip-top shape to really start the new year off right!
Here are some of my top body detox tips:
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Detox with good foods! I’m going to dedicate just one brief bullet point here to food. The foods you eat affect more than just your appearance — they affect things like skin health, mind clarity, gut health, and even anxiety and depression.
Make sure you’re eating foods that will nourish you, and if you really feel the holidays added a lot of toxic materials to your body, consider using a detox juice or smoothie recipe to get back on your game. But please, don’t obsess over this one and don’t go cleanse-crazy — a daily juice or smoothie in the mornings until you’re feeling back on top of your game is definitely enough! -
Exercise/movement. We already know that exercise is good for you and affects all aspects of your health, even down to your gut health and mental health! Kick off 2021 by getting more movement into your routine. Really find what you enjoy. For me that’s yoga and the occasional solo dance party to Maggie Rogers. For you it may be something different. Anything works!
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Bodily pampering. I’m talking massages, baths, body oils, calming scents, stepping up your skincare routine, and so on. If you feel good outside, you’re one step closer to feeling amazing inside, so give your body the pampering it needs to feel calm, relaxed, and zen. Get a CBD oil massage. Step up your morning skincare routine so you feel amazing all day. If you work from home and can take a break in the middle of the day, go take a bath. Keep a calming candle near your work station. Give your body whatever it needs to feel its best!
Detox Your Mind
If your mental health tanked last year, you’re not alone. Last year was the first time I really felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. We don’t know what 2021 is going to throw at us yet, but the importance of mental health is more apparent than ever.
Some of us who are really struggling in this arena might want to consider therapy. Actually, you might want to consider therapy even if you don’t think you’re “really struggling.” If nothing else, therapy is a weekly time that you get to make about you. It’s a time to reflect and chat through anything that’s been on your mind with a professional listener.
Here are some of my favorite non-therapy ways to do a little mental detox and start the new year off right:
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Yoga/meditation. I talk about yoga a lot, and that’s because it’s awesome. Not only is it my preferred way to work up a little sweat, but it’s also my favorite way to cleanse my mind of any bad juju. Tight muscles? Yoga. Feeling anxious? Yoga. Need to step away from everything for a minute? Yoga.
The body and mind are so intertwined, and yoga does a great job at addressing both of them as a whole. Do some yoga every time you need a little reset. You can do a little 10-minute meditation, or an hour-long meditation, or whatever you feel like you need. Above is one of my favorite short practices from Helen at Floating Yoga School. Check out her YouTube channel for more! -
Get off social media. The political polarization is heavy right now, people. I usually look at my phone and social media first thing in the morning, and it got to the point last year where I’d get out of bed in a bad mood nearly every day because of all the posts I’d see.
Really limit your time on social media this year. Take more time to be in the place you’re at — notice the things around you, in your home or neighborhood, that you’re grateful for. Disconnect for a bit, and take that time to reconnect with yourself. -
Turn off the news. Ugh. Yes, it’s important and good to be aware of what’s going on in the world around you, but that can go too far. It’s very possible (and likely) that you’ve been so in the loop that it’s becoming depressing. So hop out of the loop for a bit. You could start with simple practices, like turning off news notifications on your phone and limiting your time watching the news. Let yourself check it once a day, and then cut back to a couple times a week. Or better yet, find positive news outlets that tell you about the good happening in the world.
Detox Your Soul
Soul, heart center, that nebulous thing that nobody can quite locate but you know that it’s there — yeah, that probably needs a little detox, too. When I think about soul health, I think about connection with beings outside myself — other humans, God, nature, and the universe. When everything is spiraling around you, it’s important to keep up with your soul health to feel less alone and helpless.
Let’s start the new year off right with some of my favorite soul health tips:
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Surround yourself with positive people. We all have that friend or two who seems to just bring down the vibe when we’re with them. But we also have people who fill the room (and our souls) with joy whenever we’re around them. Spend more time (safely!) with the second type of person! Being around positive people will help you be more positive, and if you have a few close friends, confiding in them to get through tough times is a serious healing balm for your soul.
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Practice positive affirmations. This is actually one of my resolutions this year. Improve your soul health by improving how you view yourself! The things you say to yourself about yourself have a serious impact on this. One of my favorite positive affirmation practices is to say good things to myself, out loud, in front of a mirror while I’m doing my morning and evening skincare routines. I usually find a mantra for the day that I’ll repeat to myself throughout the day: I am on the right path for me, I am stronger than I think, I am worthy of love, etc.
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Pray! And no, I’m not talking about religious prayer (but you can definitely do that if you want!). You could just “pray” to connect to the universe/a higher power — whatever that means to you. I like to use prayer as a way of talking to something outside myself, and I often gain powerful insights through prayer. It’s a very helpful self-reflective practice and a great way to cleanse your soul.
Are you going to start the new year off right with any of these body, mind, and soul detoxes? Let us know in the comments!
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