Can a detox help with creativity?

'Tis the season for detoxes and cleanses. Here's my approach.

Photo by Гоар Авдалян on Unsplash

I’m not a huge fan of detoxes, mostly because I’m terrible at them. Hats off if you’re one of those souls who can see one through. 

I realized after talking to my friend Mona Raglow, a time management expert and creator of the Monaplanner—my secret weapon to getting things done— that the reason so many of us fail at detoxes is because we’re often asked to give up too many things at once — sugar, dairy, carbs, alcohol, and animal products. 

Long term, Mona said studies show that the rates of success when it comes to adopting new habits drop significantly when you try to make more than two changes at a time. 

What I’m detoxing from. So this month, I’m keeping my January detox simple and supportive to set myself up for success. I’m choosing to do a 21-day fast on alcohol and strengthening my boundaries around my digital consumption.

Before you detox, ask yourself “why.” I’m not a big drinker, but I do like a glass of wine a few nights a week. The cold, darker winter months can make it even more appealing.

My friend Miriam Kaseff, an integrative nutrition health coach, says it’s important to ask ourselves the question “Why?” five times whenever we embark on a detox of any kind. For example:

• Why am I giving up alcohol? Because I care about my health and want to age well. 

• Why? Because I’m getting older and alcohol is affecting my sleep and I want to sleep better.

• Why? Because when I sleep better, I’m in a better mood and more clear-headed.

• Why? Because when I’m in a better mood and more clear-headed, I’m more optimistic.

• Why? Because when I’m more optimistic, I’m more creative and productive and more willing to explore and implement new ideas.

(Miriam along with Brooke Seiz, a therapist and functional medicine practitioner, have teamed up to offer a Vibrant Reset, an online 10-day guided detox January 14-24 if you want some support with your own detox.)

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Digital detox for creativity. Last fall, I co-facilitated an Artist’s Way cohort. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron is a 12-week creative recovery/discovery program. 

For me, one of the hardest, but most impactful weeks of the Artist’s Way is the media fast. That means no reading, no TV and no social media for 7 days. It’s not that long, but I always go into that week kicking and screaming with lots of what if’s….

What if I can’t sleep because I’m not reading before bed? 

What if something happens in the news and I will appear uninformed? 

What if I miss some conversation or event on social media because I was absent? 

But then, I asked myself more important questions:

What if I let all the voices and opinions go for one week? What would that feel like?

Instead of feeling deprived, I discovered that instead of reading and investing my time in other people’s words and agendas, I was fully invested in my own. 

That’s the week I finally got through the last round of revisions of my novel. 

Suddenly, I had no meaningless distractions and a flow of new ideas.

When I got stuck, I couldn’t switch to social media for a mind-numbing distraction. I had to do something else like go for a walk, stretch, journal or call a friend.

I had to listen to my own inner compass about the next right step for me.

We live in a world where experts abound with best practices and if you aren’t doing their prescribed best practice, the underlying suggestion is you’re setting yourself up for failure. 

But, what if we determined our own best practices?

By quieting the external voices for a few days, we give ourselves the gift of exploring questions like: 

• What works best for me? 

• What would be fun? 

• What energizes me? 

• What types of activities leave me depleted?

• Who do I want to invest my time in? 

• Who do I no longer wish to invest my time and energy in?

• Who are the thought leaders who inspire me?

• Who are the thought leaders who drain me?

• How can I protect my creative energy moving forward?

For me, the digital detox/reading fast turned out to be an empowering and exceptionally creative week. Even though I wasn’t able to read my novels before bed, I journaled instead. I slept hard and tapped into an inner peace that had been evading me. I felt more relaxed and I was more present with my family.

I realized I was letting other people’s stories/opinions/thoughts and social media corporations control my time and energy and interrupt my creativity. 

I don’t like that.

Creativity is the cornerstone of my business. It brings me joy and a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

I’m not willing to sacrifice it or my peace of mind to anyone or anything. 

Key takeaways of a detox. The detox demanded I examine my values and decide how I would honor my values moving forward.

Since I’m not interested in leaving social media entirely, and I’m invested in what’s happening in the world so that I can make informed decisions, the detox helped me design boundaries that feel good and support my values and needs.

I would argue that this is the most important part of any detox or fast. 

For example, the digital detox helped me establish boundaries like:

• I prefer to read the news rather than listen to it. When I do listen, I avoid sensational news channels bent on spinning truth to rile up emotions or provoke fear and paranoia.

• I avoid negative people who are focused on creating division, harm and destruction.

• I seek out inspiring, creative thought leaders who work to create acceptance and healing in a turbulent world.

• I take Sundays off from social media—my digital Sabbath. I use the space to focus on the week ahead and enjoy spiritually nourishing activities like yoga, reading, journaling, walking outside and listening to inspiring podcasts.

• Day to day, I wait to jump into email and social media until after I’ve done my morning journaling or creative writing. 

No detox, no problem. Even if you have no intention of doing a January detox, this is a good time of the year to take a note from nature, especially for those of us living in the northern hemisphere. 

The winter season reminds us of the importance of slowing down. Quieting our racing thoughts. Engaging in introspection. And choosing physically and spiritually nourishing foods and activities. 

It’s an ideal time to take a break from anything that feels poisonous or even slightly detrimental to your mind, your body or your spirit.

Want more tips on supporting your mental and emotional health during the winter? Check out my article in the January issue of Vibrant Life magazine.

Are you doing a cleanse or a detox of some kind this month? If so, what are you doing? 

And if you have a word of the year, I’d love to hear about it!