Detox in 2018

It's All About You

With the passing of each year comes a time of celebration and the usual tradition of ditching the old to make way for the new. The beginning of a New Year is an exciting time, during which many of us make bold statements relating to what we want to achieve over the coming months or how we will better ourselves. However, what soon becomes clear is that more often than not, getting ahead and enjoying a healthier or productive lifestyle is a commitment that requires more than a few weeks’ dedication.

Discouraging as this all may sound, taking the first step towards achieving your goals and even making a positive lifestyle change is surprisingly simple and can be summed up in a single word: Relax. It really is that simple. By just taking a little time to step back and unwind, you will soon be able to decide what is important to you and how to make a lasting change in the future.

Body and Soul

Whenever we talk about rest, we often think of getting more sleep, gently exercising or eating healthier foods as a way of allowing our tired bones to recover from the frantic pace of modern life. Generally speaking these are all great things to do and will almost certainly put you on the path to a healthier lifestyle, however sometimes it can be difficult to make these changes stick - especially if you are carrying around a lot of stress. This is why it is so important to take a little care of the mind before focusing too much on the body – or that ambitious DIY project you have promised to tackle this year!

There are several ways of achieving a more relaxed state of mind, ranging from adopting the principles of mindfulness to enjoy a simple cup of tea to engaging more with your favourite hobbies and pastimes. It can be far too easy to ignore the importance of play and relaxation, especially for grown-ups, who are all-to-often distracted by the hum-drum demands of everyday life.

Getting Away From It All

Getting better acquainted with your favourite pastime can involve nothing more that curling up with a good book or spending more time with friends, but have you ever considered the advantages of taking a short trip or a ‘detox’ escape?

Taking a little time away from home and escaping into a new environment can be a great way to supplement the benefit of detoxing your body by relaxing your mind at the same time. While you focus on eating healthily or cutting out alcohol as part of your New Year’s regime, a detox escape can be a fantastic way to explore the great outdoors or really get stuck into the activities that you enjoy the most.

The UK is home to countless areas of outstanding natural beauty, many of which offer up fantastic opportunities to enjoy some truly relaxing experiences that cater to all tastes. While on a much needed getaway you’ll find yourself with plenty of time to tighten the line with a spot of fishing, play a few (dozen) rounds of golf or even take to the sea for a spot of sailing. Rail enthusiasts can take advantage of the UK’s fascinating network of historic steam railways, while nature lovers can indulge in some calming pony trekking or birdwatching. With so much natural beauty and inspiration to be discovered, creative types might even want to capture some of what they have found through photography, painting or writing. This is a perfect way to remember and share the wonderful experiences you enjoy while detoxing your mind.

Switching Off

Another advantage of taking a detox escape is that it allows you the opportunity to unplug from the ‘buzz’ of an increasingly technology driven world. The concept of a ‘notspot’ is becoming an ever-more popular term, as more and more of us seek to actively discover destinations where the lack of an ever-present Wi-Fi signal is a definite advantage and a welcome break. That’s not to say that it isn’t great to be able to keep up-to-date with what our friends and family are up to, or even the family pet for that matter, but this can often be at the expense of enjoying some much needed ‘me time’ and finding a secluded notspot can be the perfect antidote to technology overload. 

Why Wait?

There is no real hard and fast rule that dictates when you decide it’s time to slow down and refresh with a brief personal detox, so why march to the beat of someone else’s drum or wait until you are entirely burned-out? There are hundreds of reasons that might need lead to you needing to take a much-needed rest, but what in the end what it boils down to is being kind to yourself. A detox getaway is all about you and that’s just as it should be.