“All great changes are preceded by chaos.” Deepak Chopra. What do you need to let go off to start something new for yourself?

 

 

Last month we covered endings and new beginnings. With Easter coming earlier this year, we continue the theme of “emotional spring cleaning” in terms of detoxification and cleansing – emotionally and physically.  “Detox” was once one of those trendy words for diet fads, however, “detoxification” is a natural process that our bodies physically do. Many organs are involved in this process and primarily our liver.

It is basically a process of converting toxins to something less harmful to either re-utilise or to safely expose them to the outside (via our excretory organs). Our bodies mainly do this when we are relaxed, particularly when we are asleep and our parasympathetic nervous system is more active. This process does not work efficiently when we are stressed (sympathetic nervous system hyperactivation), have disrupted or too little sleep, or are too overloaded with a variety of toxins and other stress factors.
 
Sometimes these emotions (toxins) create havoc and chaos that has to become painful enough for us to really want to do something about it.

“Toxins” usually come from the environment and our diets but we can also create them internally. This happens physically and emotionally. We can also have too many “emotional” toxins in our system that need detoxification and excretion to make room for new things, enabling growth and change. Again, if we are stressed, we won’t have the emotional capacity or space to really stay connected with ourselves and with others.
 

Connecting with ourselves is important to be able to listen to what our bodies and minds need, what we need to let go off in order to move forward. “Detoxing” is therefore not only essential to recharge us physically (sleep, fresh air, exercise, and a nutritious diet), but also needs to occur mentally and emotionally (love, compassion, appreciation, gratitude, and meditation). We can do this by choosing anything that helps us “connect more” to ourselves and subsequently to others which may differ from person to person.

We mostly find it difficult to connect with ourselves when we are too busy, stressed and predominantly focused in our “heads”. When focused in our "heads" we do a lot of thinking, analysing, justifying, intellectualising, worrying, planning, and these would generally be about the past or future events. Yet, really being present in the here-and-now with ourselves and within our bodies is often difficult for most of us in our busy lives. Yet all the body sensations are part of our moment-to-moment experience.

To be more connected to ourselves, our bodies and the present moment is something that is termed "mindfulness". Being more mindful of the present and every moment.
 
How can we connect more with ourselves? What helps us to stay more mindful, more connected? Is it doing something nurturing for ourselves? (For example: having a bath, going for a walk in nature, listening to music, making some nourishing foods, spending time with a pet or a friend). If we do listen more to ourselves, how can we let go off some old and unhelpful beliefs that no longer serve us? How can we replace them with more helpful beliefs? Where or from whom could we seek more help for this?

(Watch this space as we continue to explore more useful questions associated to other chakras in the next ADADSU eNews.) 

Below is a monthly recipe that corresponds to the colour for this chakra. Hope you enjoy it, as well as the process of creating something healthy to begin your day!
 
Over Easter, I hope that most of us had a chance to stop and take a pause. Perhaps we took a break to recharge and nourish ourselves and just be. Spring officially started on the 20^th March (!) and this weekend the clocks changed to summertime, perhaps it could be time to fully take on some “mind-body housekeeping” for a healthy detox.

We could of course all do with a little help in the process of opening up more, moving forward and creating the changes we want and that make us happy. When it feels tricky to talk to family or friends about any of this more deeply, having a good therapist to explore difficult feelings and challenges that keep us from fulfilling ourselves can be invaluable.

If you need any extra support this month or if you know someone you care about who does, do feel free to forward our details or contact us for a free initial call.
 
Wishing you more mindful connection with yourself this month.

Happy Easter!