7 Tools for Cleaning Out Your Life
This is Part 2 of our Now Cleaning series. Go read Part 1, our introduction, if you have not yet:
Part 1: Cleaning Out Your Life Right Now
Cleaning out your diet and life at the same time is a powerful practice. Some believe that there is an energy that permeates everything, and this energy can get "stuck" and your life can get equally "stuck". It can happen inside your colon, or inside your closet.
Heidi and I are in the process of giving everything a massive cleanse. Whether or not you believe in "energy", you will definitely feel and experience major (positive) life changes when getting serious about cleansing.
What Does Life Cleaning Have to Do With Diet?
For better or worse, a lot.
If you feel like your diet has been stagnant, that you know what changes you want to make but are unsure why you just can't bring yourself to do them, look around. Is there stuff piled up in your kitchen? Would you want to make a healthy meal in a cluttered, unorganized kitchen?
What about your bedroom or living room? Would you want to relax in your bedroom or living room after a fulfilling meal? Or does it feel like you need to "clean up" before you can enjoy these rooms?
Our diet is larger than what we eat. It encompasses everything and stretches out to all that we are and all that we do.
If you are feeling stuck in your diet, look at your life. Clean up your surroundings, mend that broken relationship, call Mom...whatever you need to do to get your non-diet life in order can completely accelerate your wanted dietary shifts and changes.
Read to Try Some Serious 'Now Cleaning'?
Here are some awesome tools to clean out your life...
- Go through everything - Just do it. Every piece of paper, every fork, knife and spoon. Does it belong in your life? Do you really need it? Don't get caught up in boxing something away for "later". Later doesn't exist. This is the Masters Course when it comes to life cleaning, but believe us when we say that it can completely change your life.
- Emotional Cleansing - Fabulous tools like EFT, affirmations, and good ol' positive thinking can go a really long way. Even just looking at something in a positive light can change it immediately. There are thousands of books on these subjects. Check your local library or bookstore. Pick up the book that feels and looks best to you. Start somewhere on your emotional journey. One of our favorite raw books is all about emotions. It's called Raw Emotions by Angela Stokes. Read our review of Raw Emotions to get a feeling for what it's all about.
- Stop Something - Take a hard look at your daily activities. What can you immediately stop doing that is adding nothing to your life or maybe even causing your problems?
- Start Something - Dust off that old project that gives you a smile when you think about it. Just do it. Commit to doing something you love for 5 minutes a day. When you start, you will find that you won't want to stop.
- Relationships - Perhaps the most difficult of all changes are relational. Perhaps you need to stop hanging out with your drinking buddies for a while. Go out to meet someone that is already doing something you want to do. Get some new friends.
- Cut Down/ End Internet Addiction - Blogs, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, forums, Nings...it seems like social media will never end. And with each new thing out there, perhaps you feel like you are being left behind. Even four hours away from the web can seem like a lifetime. Try cutting out some of the ones you feel "obligated" to visit for a week. See if you really miss it.
- Clean out that fridge! - Check out our post about declaring Fridge Bankruptcy. Having a clean, organized fridge helps you want to make better choices with your food.
Don't underestimate the power of cleaning. Perhaps you get regular colon cleansing or go on a one week juice fast or feast every six months. This is no different, and just as effective.
Give this whole "life cleaning" thing a try. But make sure to notice the changes that are happening around you and in your diet. If you don't notice the changes, you won't understand how powerful this regular practice can be.
In Part 3 of this post series, we are going to get into some good raw and health related detoxes and cleanses.
Remember: you don't need spring to detox and cleanse!
See you next time,
~ JS
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If you plan on reprinting this article on your website or newsletter, please include the following credit and link:
Heidi & JS Ohlander are the creators of Raw Food, Right Now!, a website dedicated to making the raw food diet fun and easy for everyone. Heidi & JS help bring raw food to your world by offering tips, news, and information on integrating raw foods into your daily life. You can find out more by going to www.rawfoodrightnow.com.
