And these are ones anyone can do! Sure, while 24 hours is next to nothing for some, for many, building healthy habits require making small, incremental changes. Lo and behold, small changes can have a dramatic impact! So, a 24-hour detox can be life-changing. It’s a good starting place as any. *And by all means, these detoxes are not limited to only 24-hours!
We now live in a heavily consumer and performance-based culture, where oftentimes I am riddled with the feeling of running in a marathon I am not built for nor even want to participate in, but also feel like I have to if I want to *keep up* or be *accepted*. For instance, I cringe when people say, “We’re all tired – that’s just life – get used to it,” because it not only implies we are supposed to push through the tired but that this [constant fatigue, pushing through it] is normal.
That’s not saying we are inclined to be idle, aloof or lazy, but we should often take a step back and notice what could be negatively contributing to our life whether we think it or not, or regardless if everyone else is doing it (like normal).
5 Ways to detox in a day that can change your life
Stay off social media
We can all benefit from minimizing or even eliminating social media use from time to time. Personally, I commend those who don’t even have social media accounts. And I’m in the process of joining those individuals – even as a blogger – in the best way I know how.
Social media, as it was originally created to help us stay connected with others, is now used as anything but. It’s environment is now known for being taxing, addictive and even risky. I really don’t need to dive into those here. But I will say, staying off social media or getting off of it completely will actually show you who are your real connections in life.
In any case, removing social media from with your grasp (literally) for a 24-hour period can do more wonders than what is believed. Your overall health, but especially your mental health, will thank you.
[Related Read: 5 Social media behaviors that dampen real-life connections]
Silence your phone
I know many will say this is difficult, depending on who and time of day, but the point I’m making here is to expose urgency culture. While I love that we have a tool at our fingertips, that’s just it – we can’t EVER put it down or leave it alone long enough to fully engage in life outside or beyond it!
We laughed back in the late 90s that our cellular devices would become our leashes, but it’s more than true now! In fact, we parade it.
Urgency culture has conditioned us to believe that nothing is more important than…[your boss calling unannounced, waiting for a text back from a friend, killing unnecessary time on the toilet, perpetually scrolling Tiktok for hours in bed, whipping out your phone at the most inconvenient or inappropriate times (when you shouldn’t), “looking at the time” or subconsciously checking for any notifications, racing to answer a text or call on the first ring, having your phone in your pocket at all times, checking to see if anyone or how many people liked and commented on your latest IG post, etc. etc.].
Whether your leash is a short chain or retractable isn’t the point, it’s your ability to completely detach from it willingly and purposefully that matters.
Eliminate or add something to your diet regimen
Many may be wondering what immediate changes or benefits one may experience from simply adding or eliminating something in their diet for a single day. You’d be surprised.
Go a day without eating fast food. Refrain from coffee, energy drinks, alcohol or soda for 24 hours. Cut out fried, processed foods, sugar or carbohydrates in your meals. Instead, make every meal from home [scratch]. Drink more water or warm tea throughout the day. Implement fresh fruits, vegetables and protein. Take a multivitamin, or health supplement.
See what happens in a day. Even if there are no major, noticeable changes…take note of your attitude from this adjustment. If you’re left feeling deprived, fatigued and with unbearable cravings it still could be a sign your diet would actually benefit from a more permanent adjustment.
Refrain from buying something
I’d say its crazy that most people are making purchases every single day (not counting daily groceries, bills and utilities), but honestly now that we have things like UberEats and Amazon I am fully convinced that most of us are buying day in and day out on a regular basis. And without even realizing it, too. I mean, truly, that morning coffee run before work or mid-day pick-me-up at the gas station equates to breathing at this point.
Granted, when I said that groceries do not apply, this doesn’t mean eating out or take out. If you’re someone who is best accountable by shopping for your meals daily, then so be it, and this doesn’t necessarily apply. *Though it still could if you’re someone who tends to over-indulge at the grocery store on a daily basis.
The point is to refrain from buying something, or having to buy something – it’s simple! It’s really not as complicated as it can be made to be.
This includes window shopping! I knowwwwwwww, but that IS still part of consumerism, even if we’re not actively participating by entering our credit card number and clicking Pay Now. That said, a 24-hour detox from scrolling through the latest home decor finds or fashion trends – just to add to your favorites for later – can apply to a need to feed our shopping craves.
Make a necessary replacement
Think about your daily habitual routine. What are some things that may benefit from a replacement? For just one instance, let’s say most days you immediately get home from work, pop a squat on the couch, dinner in hand and you binge Netflix for the next three hours before bed.
A necessary replacement, in this case, might be eating dinner at the kitchen table while reading a book, or simply focusing on your meal (eating slower and actually chewing your food) to then follow up with a 30-minute post dinner and dish clean up walk at sunset.
Like I said, that’s just one small instance among the manyyyyyy habits, routines, patterns, and cycles (good and bad) we sometimes blindly follow and repeat through our days. A change up jolts us from our auto-pilot slumps, and sometimes for the better!