Unplug

Over MLK weekend I did a un-plug/detox. There were two parts: not using anything that needed a plug for 72 hours, sans lights, and a very modified diet consisting of brown rice, lemon water, and spinach. I was supposed to eat bitter greens but as a girl who hates vegetables spinach was my compromise.

The detox part had its struggles. I crave fried, microwavable, and highly addicting comfort food. I’m lucky I have a fast metabolism. While I was in Kenya, aside from the few times I ate out, everything was (truly) organic and unprocessed. I felt better, had more energy, my skin cleared up, and I promptly went back to my old habits as soon as I returned. The Detox was meant to jump start my eating right. It also is #31 on my Day Zero list. I found that I was less hungry as the food I was eating had more fiber and other nutrients type things that I usually don’t get. But I couldn’t eat when I was bored which I frequently was as TV, music, and movies were all off limits. I tend to multi task usually eating dinner, reading a book, and watching tv all at the same time. For the weekend I attempted to do only one thing at a time. When I was eating dinner, I was eating dinner.

The unplug portion (#29) of the weekend had its own struggles. More than my addiction to processed food I am addicted to noise. When I come home the TV goes on even if I’m not watching it. If not the TV, then the radio or a movie. There is always noise around me. In addition, now that I have internet at my apartment, I’ll read through blogs or check my email more times then necessary. Not having all these safety distractions was harder than I thought it would be. It did give me time to think about the deeper meaning behind my room always being a mess, what I’m chasing after, and my positive characteristics and things I want to change. My journal has a lot of “hmm”, “wow”, and “oooooh” moments.

While not outwardly fun as some of the other things I do in my life, the experience of just being by myself for 72 hours was an adventure too. I’m planning on doing it again in the Spring, working with the natural cycles of the human body.

Favorite quote of the weekend: "Whoever you are, whatever you are, start with that." ~Alice Walker