When is the right time to detox?

At least once a year, I do a detox. There are several ways of detoxing your body and mind. Some detox programs are focusing only on your body, some only on your mind, some look at the overall picture.

Recently, I came out of a stressful time. I ended the relationship with my partner, and I had so much stress at work that I needed 6 weeks to look back and reappraise on the past months to realize where I am standing now. It took a long time to understand what has been happening in the business and my private life.

I was tired, I had no appetite and I had just no energy to do anything. But at the same time, the work did not stop, requests for marketing campaigns kept coming in. And then I had an idea: I was thinking that maybe a detox will help me. I mean, “Veronika look at the last detox in 2019, you just felt amazing!” And I got the answer very quickly.

As I always mention in my coaching sessions: Your body and your brain know all the right answers for you.

I tried to do a detox, but very quickly into the day, I realized that this is definitely the wrong way to go right now. I sat down to meditate and just listened to my body. I was so stressed, that I had no connection to my intuition and the inner voice. I was hurt, I was overwhelmed, there was no ways I could calm my thoughts.

While sitting on the cool grass and tried to connect more and more to my body and I asked the question: “What is it you need right now?”

The answer was definitely not a black fast detox. I received the message that my body needs to rest. It needs a rest from all the technology, from all people who are stressing me, and lots of healthy food with vitamins. My body was craving for being alone, dancing moves (ecstatic dance), lots of water, and vitamins. 

Every day, I started my day by asking my body what it wants. I did exactly what my body was saying and I started to feel better every day.

What is the right time to do a detox?

Please do not listen to all the recommendations on the internet which tell us what is healthy and great for our body. See all those recommendations only as suggestions. See it as a vehicle or tool, which you can use when your body says, “yes, this is what I need right now.”

When you are detoxing in a moment, when your body is strong, your mind is strong and you feel good. The detox will be so much more pleasant for you and your body. You will have a positive experience. Even black water fasting will be quiet easy for you to go through. The last time I did a black fast detox, I was even able to go to the gym every day. I did not feel weak at all.

When I tried this time to do a detox, this was way too much for my body. I felt even weaker. Due to the stressful period, my body had not enough nutritions to cope with all the toxins being released. Even sitting to meditate, was more stress for my mind than helping.

“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day – unless you‘re too busy; then you should sit for an hour.” 

We all need this famous quote, and this is true. But when you are coming out of a traumatic period, and you force yourself to sit for an hour by yourself, this can make your situation even worse. Sometimes, even the best of us cannot calm the thoughts and the critical inner voice. If you sit for one hour with this voice, this can be more harming then helpful. In this case, it is more important to listen to your body. 

How to listen to your body?

Use a silent moment and connect to your body. With love and compassion. There is no right or wrong. Do not judge. There is only the moment now and we go from here. Ask your body 

“What is it you need to feel good and healthy again?” 

The first answer that comes to you, will be the right answer.

When you are going shopping for food, ask your body 

“Is this good for us?” 

Your body will help you to choose the right things to eat and exercises to do.

Do not choose food, the way to eat (diet plans), exercises and your lifestyle because of some trending articles in a magazine, or some friend or guru is recommending it to you. We are all different, what works for one person, does not mean it will work for everybody.

Listen to your body, and choose what is right for you.

When friends or family will ask you,

“Why don’t you do XYZ.”

“I tell you, you really should do XYZ.”

Simply answer, “Thank you for your advice, I will look into it when it is the right time for it, but right now, this is not what my body needs.”

When I am on the island Koh Phangan in Thailand, there are so many “healers”, energy workers and health-obsessed travellers. I am getting about 50 different recommendations on what to do to heal one little thing. There is a workshop for pretty much everything. If you are new to all these topics, it is overwhelming.

But I quickly understood there is not only one way to heal. When people are obsessed with one topic because it helped them. They pretty much try to push it onto all other people! I understand the euphoria, but we need to understand that everybody is unique. I tell them, thanks for your advice, but there is more than one way to achieve the result. I mean excuse me, but water floating therapy and being touched by a stranger you have never seen before or tantra sex is definitely not the right way for introverts with social anxiety (just to mention an example). Everybody is being born with absolute perfection for its own body. Life experience will create blockages, traumas, and other imbalances, but that’s okay. Have compassion with your body, connect to your body and know what is it your body really needs.

There is always the right time for you, and your body will tell you when. Your body will tell you the way to detox, what it needs, and what you should do to feel better. There are so many ways to detox, and please remember there is no right or wrong. This is not a mathematical exercise with only 1 correct result. Set your own guidelines for your detox. Listen to what your body needs right now. Connect to your body, and you will always be on the right path for a healthy and happy you.

The correct way to detox

Listening to my body, the way of detox it needed was: Detox from all stress and toxic people. Stay away from everything that is causing stress. This is a detox, too.

Do you have trouble to find the right answers and listen to the voice? During a coaching session with me, you can connect more to your body and get the right answers for you.