![Quantcast](http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-GS-HF4BKvzCmv.gif)
![5 Ways To Detox Your Mind For A Mental Reset](https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk4MTY1OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTczMTk4MzIzMn0.oWLFFjgVUbyJ4SfbH6w0k5HstjNl7GF9whxYMIq9hRE/img.jpg?width=1200&height=600&quality=90&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C167)
5 Ways To Detox Your Mind For A Mental Reset
As we say goodbye to 2020 and gracefully move into 2021, it's only right we say goodbye to our thought patterns that no longer serve us. I started my healing journey in December of 2018 after a toxic relationship. At the time, my mind was filled with broken thoughts of all men, love, and relationships. This toxic frame of mind eventually carried into my lifestyle and confidence in new relationships.
I decided to adopt a mindful detox practice to heal and attract more positivity into my life. During my detox journey, I eventually discovered the law of attraction. The idea is that our mind is the gateway to our reality. It was that moment your girl became woke! In my experience, when I was comfortable in my toxic thought patterns, I eventually developed a lack mindset. A lack mindset is the idea of living in scarcity. A few examples are: "I can't", "I'll never have", or "I'm not good enough."
I unknowingly manifested more lack into my life rather than abundance.
Since adopting a detox practice for myself, I have noticed a huge difference in my aura, stress levels, relationships, self-esteem, and overall mental health. Detoxing your mind is essential if you want to find love, manifest more opportunities, and change your life, period! Here are 5 ways to detox your mind.
Embrace The Power Of The Pause
Shutterstock
A great way to detoxify the mind is by pausing. Adopting a meditation practice is one way to embrace the power of the pause. There is so much clarity that can be found in silence. Take a moment to be with yourself and your thoughts. You can do this by sitting up straight and closing your eyes. Focus on five to 10 deep breaths inhaling slowly through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Dedicating as little as five minutes every day can give us awareness of our thought patterns and help us see the beauty in the lessons life is teaching us. It also allows us to put our past experiences at rest and allows us to embrace the present moment.
Give Yourself Permission To Feel
As women of color, we are rarely permitted to feel. We are raised to be strong. To be the foundation of the home. To nurture our families and loved ones before we nurture our hearts. We lend our ears to those who need to be heard, our hearts for those who need to feel love, and our bodies to create more life. Women of color are valid in their feelings. Permit yourself to feel every single emotion. There is beauty in the flow of your tears, pain, and frustration. Allow yourself to feel and have a rebirth.
Journaling
I am a huge fan of journaling. I love writing out my thoughts when I am triggered, having an ordinary day, or am overdue for a good mental detox. To detox is to release our body from any toxicities that no longer serve us. It's important to release the negative words we associate ourselves or situations with. Writing our thoughts down allows us to get it all out without the fear of judgment.
Our journal is a free space for us to be loud, unapologetic, and feel empowered through our words. We need to express exactly how we feel, it's how we become free.
Learn To Identify Your Toxic Thoughts
I'm going to keep it real with you all, this is an ongoing developing skill. When learning to identify your toxic thoughts, you have to work at it every single day and you won't be perfect at it. Learn to catch your negative thoughts in the moment and turn them around. A great example is turning a phrase like "I'll never love again" to "I will accept love into my life again when it is the right time for me." The more you practice this skill, the more likely you are to reprogram your brain and have a better outlook on life situations.
Forgive Yourself
Shutterstock
We all make mistakes. We all have toxic thoughts, have taken it too far or said too much, and have been hard on ourselves as a result. Forgive yourself, as you would forgive anyone you love. To forgive ourselves is also giving our mind permission to be at peace. Give yourself full permission to find self-acceptance and heal from the toxic thought patterns that have crowded your mind. You are human, still developing and growing in your flow. Embrace and love all of the characteristics that have made you into the beautiful divine feminine woman that you are. Detox your mind and be bold, loving, and forgiving towards yourself.
Are you a member of our insiders squad? Join us in the xoTribe Members Community today!
Featured image by Shutterstock
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
Feature image courtesy
Blair Underwood Initially Turned Down 'Sex And The City' Because 'It Was About How Samantha Was Fascinated By Dating A Black Man’
Actor and heartthrob Blair Underwood is opening up about why he turned down Sex and the City the first time he was offered a role. Many fans of the HBO series may recall Blair's time on the show in which his character was dating Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). However, he was previously offered another role where his character would date Samantha (Kim Cattrall).
During his interview with AV Club, the Set It Off star revealed that he was uncomfortable with the initial offer due to the character's fascination with him being a Black man.
“I actually did say ‘no’ the first time,” he said. “The first time they had offered the role, to be honest with you, it was about how Samantha was fascinated by dating a Black man and wanted to know if, uh, all of the rumors were true about our anatomy! And I said, ‘Listen, I’m honored, thank you, but I just don’t want to play a character based on race, on curiosity about a Black man.'”
But that didn't stop them from reaching out again. This time he was offered to play Dr. Robert Leeds, the love interest to Miranda and he decided to go for it. "So they were nice enough to call about a year later, and I said, 'Well, is it gonna be about race?' And they said, 'No, no, no, we’re not even gonna mention race!' And I think it really did only come up maybe once," he recalled.
"It did five episodes, and I think Samantha mentioned it once, saying something about 'a Black doctor' that Miranda was dating. And that’s really been a consistent thing in my career: not wanting to be boxed as 'the Black guy.'
"I’ve had that conversation with many producers along the way, and they were so great. They said, 'No, he’s just a doctor who Miranda meets in the elevator, and they have a nice little fling.' And it was amazing."
Blair has had a wide-ranging career playing everything from a lawyer on L.A. Law to playing Madame CJ Walker's husband on Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madame CJ Walker. And during his interview, he revealed another role that he initially turned down, Set It Off. The movie, which is considered a classic in Black culture, stars Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise. Blair's character, Keith, played a banker and love interest to Jada's character, Stony.
He explained why he said no at first and eventually accepted the offer. "I had initially said “no” to that. Because I was playing this historic, iconic African-American historical figure in Jackie Robinson, and the time, y’know, there was Boyz N The Hood, and Menace II Society was out there, and I’d finished playing this noble Negro… [Laughs]," he said.
"And I’m reading the script, and there’s a scene where Jada Pinkett’s character—Jada Pinkett-Smith now—was going to sell her body so she could make some money to send her brother to college. And I remember, honestly, I threw the script across the room. I was, like, “I don’t want to do this. I want to do something uplifting for the Black culture and Black characters, and I don’t know if I want to see this.”
After a conversation with the movie's director F. Gary Gray and the actor's manager encouraging him to finish reading the script, Blair had a change of heart. What he first thought about the movie turned out to be totally different.
"So I finished the script, and I saw that the character they were asking me to play was really the love story in the midst of all of this turmoil of all of these characters, the four ladies: Queen Latifah, Vivica Fox, Kimberly Elise, and Jada," he explained.
"It was so well-written, it was such a great platform for them. And to be able to play the love story and the storyline that gave Jada’s character a leg up and a way out of this world, something to hope for, to wish for, someone to love her… I said, 'You know what? I’d like to be a part of that.'
"And I’m so glad I did, because that film resonates to this day. People all the time come up to me and say that they love that movie. So I’m glad that I did it."