“Wake up, you sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed

Wake up, the wicked witch is dead!”

The return of the light, longer days and warming temperatures of spring make me feel like the Munchkins celebrating the demise of the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz. I have been somewhat patiently awaiting the Spring Equinox since mid October.

To help myself shrug off the winter, I will be doing a 40 day detox. This detox is not an extreme diet disguised as something healthy, but a compassionate detox to help me shed what I need to let go of so I can grow. This is a time of self care to renew myself mentally, emotionally and physically. I am looking at how I can release false narratives, attachment to mental and physical clutter, fear disguised as perfectionism, anger or pessimism and what emotions or fears lead me to behaviors and foods as a way to numb myself.

Here are my plans for the next 40 days:

Timeline: March 20 – April 29

Mental/Emotional:

*meditate daily (5 min minimum, at least once a day)observe my thoughts and self-talk for judgement and fear disguised as perfectionism, pessimism or self-sabotage

*journal to work through thoughts or issues that arise, keep my hand moving for three pages each day

Environment:

*clean the interior of my car

*rearrange bedroom create more space and less clutter

*do one thing each week to clear office until I can do a larger purge in May

*eliminate harsh chemical cleaners in my home

Diet:

*eliminate sugar, processed food and cow’s cheese

*limit alcohol and meat

*focus on eating a vegetable based diet, easy to digest grains and green juices

Overall Health:

*mourning routine: minimum is tongue scrapping, walking dogs; warm water with lemon ginger and honey, Neti pot, meditation and inspirational readings

*morning yoga or PranaShkti Dance at home on Tuesday-Thursday

*evening routine: limit weeknight evenings with no downtime at home

*no TV or electronics in the bedroom

*7 or more hours of sleep each night

Movement:

*focus on GENTLE: walking, flow and restorative yoga and dance

*limit heated power flows

This is all slightly challenging, but extremely doable. It is also a little scary, but the thoughts of these actions land well in my body. I know I feel better when I take care of myself by doing the simple things on this list. Lately I have been finding myself numbing out with an extra glass or two of wine, take and bake pizza and games on my iPad. The numbing seems to come after my inner critic gets really loud about how imperfect I am.

The light is returning. Now is the time to release my personal wicked witch and bask in the light.

“Let’s open up and sing, and ring the bells out

Ding-dong! the merry-o sing it high, sing it low

Let them know the wicked witch is dead”