The 30-day mental fast

What is a mental fast?

A mental fast is a detox to the mind, the way a physical fast is a detox to the body. I learned about the mental fast, one sunny day when I popped a Jerry Clark audio on my drive to Ortigas.

It sounds simple enough, just 8 steps. And it promises a great return in 30 days. With the physical fast, you withhold food from your body to accommodate a cleanse and to sort of reset your bodily processes. With the mental fast, this is what you do for 30 days straight:

1. No TV
2. No Radio
3. No Newspaper
4. 8 glasses of water, 30 minutes of exercise everyday
5. Avoid negative people
6. Associate with positive people
7. Read  inspirational, motivational books for a mnimum of 20 minutes everyday
8. Reflect everyday for 20 minutes.

Today is my third attempt at Day 1 (please don't judge meee.) To be honest, I'm doing pretty well on some things - radio, newspaper, 8 glasses of water, negative people, positive people, and reading. To be even more honest, these are things I've already been doing prior to the fast.

To be even more honest it's not funny anymore, I'm having a bitch of a time with the TV time. My shows and I go way back and in a twisted way, it has sort of become an emotional thing. Totally eliminating it from my daily diet is like going cold turkey on a longtime tobacco habit. It probably is more severe or less severe than I put it out to be, I have no way of knowing. But in any case, this is where I fall short.

Fourth attempt at Day 1 tomorrow? :)