Note to readers: Healing Space is a weekly series that helps you dive into your mental health and take charge of your wellbeing through practical DIY self-care methods.
We lucky Indians are between festive seasons. The piles of Diwali mithai have just turned into kilograms on the scale and the laughter of the family get-together is a fading memory. You must have got the credit card bill for the Great Diwali Sales on all ten sites you shopped at by now. Yup. It's time to detox. But why limit it to cookies and calories? If you hit the new year with an elimination diet that gets the obstacles out of the way, you have a head start to an accruing year. An elimination diet helps by showing you that you can survive without the inputs you thought you relied on. So don’t throw out your life saving meds and vitamins, but four pairs of golf shoes and pants you’re not going to fit into again? Come on.
First, address the financial detox: Clear the credit card. Think of that lingering credit card debt as the emotional equivalent of stale kaju katli (and if you’re still eating those, please stop). They are unhealthy, guilt-inducing, and the moment has passed. Embrace minimalism. Put yourself on a payment plan and pay off what you can lump sum first. Simply put, get rid of it.
Then, eliminate subscriptions you don't use. Do you really need seven different OTT channels and 4 global newspapers or gaming sites? Find an aggregator and cut what you don’t need. Pick a primary source and put your blinkers on. Don’t tell them I said this, but just go torrent things if you have to see them that badly.
Declutter your wardrobe. If you’ve bought ten things you don’t need, donate ten that you can very well do without. Write yourself on a No Purchase contract for things you have enough of and that are not dire, like clothes. And now that you have seen your Swiggy and Zomato year-end wrap ups, time to start cooking at home. Everything that you absolutely don’t need must go.
Emotionally, things to detox begin with social media and all that reactivity and doomscrolling. If you do still linger or have to be online for work, start limiting the views on posts that cause you envy (why are they holidaying in the Philippines while I’m stuck at home, yes?), comparison, polarising politics, negativity and the posts that pull your mood down. Now apply this to friendships, relationships that wastes your energy and time: cut the social niceties that don’t really do it for you, then you’ll find time for yoga and meditation. Identify the triggers in your environment, things that provoke you, and start steering clear. If you’re always grumbling about the garbage pile on your morning walk, after you’ve complained all you can, find another route.
In terms of health, you’ve already overindulged at Diwali and there’s no excuse to keep on that train till New Year. You have 15 days to find a sustainable habit that can keep you through the year, so start eliminating anything that isn’t contributing to it. Swap the mithai for fresh fruits and vegetables, replace late-night Netflix binges with early morning brisk walks, and move a whole lot more. Throw out, physically, all the processed foods in your cupboards. Toss complicated meals and start eliminating the extras like juices and breads and spreads and all the other sides. Start pulling out anything that creates sugar and drains energy.
It's not about deprivation, but about mindful consumption. Choose financial habits that build security, not stress. Nurture emotions that uplift, not drain. Embrace health practices that sustain, not punish. This isn't a year-end fad, it's a sustainable way of life. Shed the emotional and financial baggage so you’re ready to step into the new year, lighter.
5 things to eliminate ruthlessly:
Sneaky subscriptions that you’d forgotten about.
Sides to your main meals that add the carb and sugar load.
Social niceties you don’t even enjoy, like after work hanging out.
Anything that interrupts your sleep. Keep a spartan sleep space.
Disruptors of mood, energy and time.
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