In our second lifestyle changes detox article, intuitive healer Katarina Winslow invites us to listen to the voice in our head.
We all have that little ‘should’ voice in our head, saying I should eat less, I should exercise more, I should quit smoking, I should become a vegetarian… I should do a detox. And it continues: I should know better, I should be more positive, I should be more free, I should be more intelligent, I should, I should and I should… I should do an emotional detox.
The voice of knowing what we should do is, indeed, the voice of a better version of ourselves. We constantly listen to it but in most cases do not follow it. Often, it is a voice that is simply present in our consciousness, just changing subject and form. Sometimes, of course, we do listen, and we do obey it but then only for a while, a few months, a few weeks, a day, or just a fleeting moment. More often than not, once we act and actually embrace the ‘should’, we end up in our old behavioural patterns with the ‘should’ still there, or we replace it with something else that we should. We end up in the place where we feel safe, even if it is not perfect, or less than life could be.
More than anything, we end up with the comfort of having a ‘should’ as a companion. A companion that keeps repeating that you are less than you could be, and that there is a slimmer, better and more beautiful version of you – somewhere. We feel secure in the way things have always been; in a way we are attached to our ‘shoulds’. If we actually acted on our ‘shoulds’, they would disappear. Then there would be acceptance, uncertainty and freedom. With our companion present, we are at least certain that there is something to fix. How sad to lose such a precious friend, the one that is constantly telling us that we are not good enough! That we are not perfect just the way we are.
We would benefit tremendously from acting on our ‘shoulds’, so that we could become free from this negative friend of ours. Or our second best option: get the voice out of our minds once and for all and be free to just be, without any guilt. When you realize that a ‘should’ not acted on is like a demoralizing friend, you could either take action to follow the advice or accept yourself with your imperfections. To stop demoralizing yourself, either change and be happier, or do not change and let go of the guilt, and be happy anyway. ‘Should’ is like an extra icing on our imperfections. Not like the one on the cake, but like a thick layer of cloudy black smoke, preventing you from accepting yourself just the way you are. To be allowed to exist, to fully live and be happy. Perfect imperfections included.
To detox has become a fashionable thing to do, and it is in fact extremely beneficial for your whole being, both physically and emotionally. During any detox, you get closer to who you would be if you were perfect. Detox is a kick-starter to finally listen to the voice that knows. During detox, your body is cleansed from sugar and toxins. You get even further benefits from getting in touch with your true feelings, embracing any unpleasant feelings and the non-expressed frustrations that tend to emerge during the detox. During detox, all that was hidden inside tends to become visible so that you can get closer to your true self. The emotional detox, included in any physical detox, removes old emotions and liberates you.
