With COVID looming around and almost a full year seems lost, I felt I had become detached  from myself. I began to feel the weight of the unknown and the strain of anxiety almost on a  daily basis. My anxiety and bad habits were getting the worst of me. Just when I needed it, the  yoga studio I teach at, The Mat Yoga Studio, Dallas, Texas, was offering a 6 week reset for the  fall to help get reset. And to start on a good foot for the new year – I felt that was exactly what I  needed in my life. I’ve tried detoxes in the past, some a few days to a week, but never one  lasting this long! The last detox was truly challenging and I haven’t been ready to try again until  now. And being me, multi-tasking queen, I decided to implement my own individual goals within  the cleanse period. I wanted to detox my body and my mind and my house. I wanted to brake  old habits and create healthy new ones. A whole new reset including mind, body, spirit and  home. To change your life, you need to change your mindset. Here’s how I went about it:

Mind Reset:

Journaling or creating art is a great way to express emotions and work through trauma. It allows  time for reflection and gratitude as well as working through things that you’re unable to talk  about or past issues that you can’t let go. This “metabolizing ” of the past (or present) frees your  attention to focus on your priorities. It can be a mind dump of sorts. It’s not all flowers, hearts  and positive quotes – sometimes we must explore the darker parts of our psyche to recognize  both both light and dark are essential and must be witnessed and kept in balance. Use writing or  art to find the edges and depth of traumatic experience and how trauma lives in your body and  shows up in your everyday life. Become the witness and allow yourself to write the   “unallowable ” without dwelling there. Let your mind feel the release of writing, drawing, or  creating art while exploring different mediums. Using this tool of expression to work through  blockages in your life, to get a clearer picture of your potential, and to help define and  implement changes in your life.

Body Reset:

When choosing a cleanse, think first of your goals and do your research. I’ve tried short and  long cleanses from eating just fruits and vegetables to a more balanced cleanse with a broader  diet selection and with herbal teas and supplements. When planning a cleanse, pick one that  you can achieve and one that works best with your lifestyle. It’s great to try and have a friend,  family or group to share with during the challenges and triumphs.  Most cleanses require you to give up caffeine and sugars – that means no coffee and wine! So  it’s best to cut back on those items prior to starting, that way the initial withdrawal symptoms  won’t be severe. Yes, withdrawal. You will experience a few symptoms during the beginning  days, such as, headaches, body aches, general fatigue, tiredness, and mood swings. Hang tight  through this and you’ve done the hard part. Establish your personal goals within the cleanse.

Try to create new healthier habits.

Here’s a few starting tips:

• Switch to herbal tea
• Drink warm water with lemon for digestion first thing in the morning
• Increase your overall daily water intake
• Add daily supplements like vitamin B, C, D, Zinc
• Remove sugars and carbs
• Add in fresh, organic produce to your diet
• Prep healthy snacks so they are easy to go-to
• Remove red meat and try fish or go meatless
• Add in yoga to your daily routine
• Add meditation and breath work
• Go outside for fresh air and sunshine (vitamin D)
• Turn off devices 30 minutes to an hour prior to sleep
• Get to bed earlier and make your room a sleep sanctuary
• Encourage family and friends to join you in your journey, it’s a better and easier experience with a group

When grocery shopping, shop around the outer edges of the store. This is where all the fresh  and frozen items are located. The middle of the store is mostly processed, packaged and  canned items. Take a moment to read the package labels, you’ll be surprised how much hidden  sugars are in many of your favorite common foods. When buying produce, try to buy organic  when possible to avoid poisons and pesticides.  You’ll start to notice a difference in how you feel, you notice less inflammation in the body and  better digestion. Your skin and hair will look better and your sleep will improve as does your  productivity. Your immune system will be boosted and overall health and well being will become  elevated.

All of these healthy new habits will create a new discipline, new behavior patterns and motivate  you towards your goals and towards feeling better. When the cleanse is over, take it very slowly  and only add in what you truly need. Who knows, you may create ingrained healthy new lifestyle  habits that actually stick with you for the long term. One thing to remember – no one is perfect  and it’s not easy, so be gentle with yourself.

Home Reset:

Questions for your :

• Have I used this item in the past year?
• Will I use this item in the coming year?
• Would I buy this item again?
• If broken, is it worth repairing?
• Would I pack this and take if moving?

Yes to any = Keep
No to all = Donate, sell or trash

To begin, start with 3 boxes or bags labeled: Sell, Donate or Maybe. Go room by room, oneroom per day for a 20 minute scan and de-clutter. Looking for dirty dishes, shoes, magazines,  mail, broken items, things not being used, items causing clutter, extra knickknacks,  blankets/pillows, games and toys. Place into a basket as you gather, then resort to proper  places or put into one of the 3 boxes.

Paper de-clutter tips: create files labeled trash, action items, short-term/long-term, and reading  material. Sort all paper clutter into these files.

Clothing de-clutter tips: gather all into a pile, starting with dresser drawers, then closet and  shoes. Sort into piles for keep, donate, and trash. Think about what items are comfortable,  make you feel good, your favorites and keep those items. Until your drawer or closet is full, then  get rid of the remaining items.

Kitchen de-clutter tips: declutter countertops, top of refrigerator, drawers and cabinets. Remove  unused or broken items, kitchen tools and appliances not used daily. Clear holiday decorations  and extra items such as water bottles, take out condiments, expired items and medicines,  outdated coupons, etc. Then clean out the refrigerator, freezer and pantry from old expired  items.

Bathroom de-clutter tips: clear vanity top, move items back to where they belong clean out  drawers and cabinets, throw away old toiletries and makeup, trash expired medicine, old broken  hair items, broken styling tools, and remove excess jewelry.

Bedroom declutter tips: clear night stands, tv tables, dressers, and clothing catch all spot. Make  your sleeping area the cleanest, calmest place in the house. Resort items that don’t belong in  the bedroom, try to create a clam peaceful zone.

Junk drawers (basket or bowl) are essential and you should have one for each room for random  items used or found in that room so you know exactly where they are.

Sentimental de-clutter tips: streamline photos, aspirational items, keep and store the items you  want to keep for memories or family value.

Identify any problem area or “clutter zone ” and do a little at a time in this area so as not to be  overwhelmed (attic, garage, storage closet or shed). Use the sorting boxes for keep, donate/sell  and trash. Work on this area 20 minutes a day to finish at your own pace.

My Take-Away:

This is the longest and most involved cleanse I’ve tried and after 4 weeks (2 more to go) I feel  that I’ve broken my addition to sugar and caffeine and I’ve started several healthy new habits.

My mind feels more relaxed and in control of my wandering thoughts. And my house is definitely  more organized and less cluttered! I have to say that this overall method has worked wonders  for me. I feel that I’m stronger in spite of the challenges this year has brought. I hope this  inspires you to try some or all of the reset tips and see what happens!

“Reset your tune to Divine melody. ” ~Mahrukh Memon