Most women experience the same point on their non-toxic journey – the one where it seems like EVERYTHING in their lives is toxic. Usually, this is followed by a feeling of complete overwhelm when they realize that they can't swap it all right now – or even in the near future.
I've been on a mission to reduce my toxin exposure since 2012, and I still have moments where I hear someone talking about something they swapped, and I think, "What?! That is toxic, too?! I never would've thought about that!"
It is completely okay to have these feelings, and you are most definitely not alone in them!
What is absolutely crucial, though, is to not let these feelings make you give up.
One mindset shift to not stress about everything has made my toxin-free journey more sustainable.
3 Things I Stopped Stressing About
When I accepted that toxin reduction is about progress and not doing everything "right" right now, the process became much less stressful. After all, what's the point in doing all this work to swap out the products that are poisoning me if I'm just going to poison myself with stress instead?
1. Perfection
It's natural when beginning to swap out toxic products to feel like anything you switch to has to be perfect. After all, why go through the effort of getting rid of something toxic unless switching to something that isn't toxic at all?
This mindset can hold you back a lot.
For instance, if your idea of perfect is cooking all your meals from scratch, you may feel like a failure the first day you get home late and don't have time or are missing a key ingredient or don't feel well enough to cook or don't meet your goal for whatever other reason. If you seek perfection, giving in and getting takeout for that meal will feel like failure. And if you let it, that feeling might make you give up.
A healthier goal would be to cook most of your meals from scratch and allow for 1-3 meals each week where you get takeout or cook a frozen pizza or boxed macaroni and cheese.
If you allow and even plan for these instances, you'll avoid the discouraging feeling of failure and be more inspired to keep on track.
2. Worrying About What I Can't Find
Another mistake I u
sed to make was refusing to buy things unless I could find a completely clean option. This happened with things like replacing the Doritos that my husband and I crumble onto our "tacos." I simply could not find an alternative that tasted like Doritos but didn't have the artificial flavoring, dyes, and seed oils. So I just quit buying them and we went without.
sed to make was refusing to buy things unless I could find a completely clean option. This happened with things like replacing the Doritos that my husband and I crumble onto our "tacos." I simply could not find an alternative that tasted like Doritos but didn't have the artificial flavoring, dyes, and seed oils. So I just quit buying them and we went without.You might feel like that's not the most horrible situation, but it eliminated an easy, mostly healthy meal that we both enjoyed. Neither of us really enjoy tacos without the crunch from the chips, so I rarely made them anymore. In truth, other than the Doritos, tacos are good protein with both beef and beans, greens in the lettuce, some cheese, homemade salsa from our garden, avocado, and a sprinkle of cilantro – all ingredients that are good for us. Why were we letting something like not being able to find a perfectly clean alternative stop us from enjoying this easy meal?
Now, I compromise. I have found an option made with organic ingredients and no artificial flavors or dyes, but it contains seed oils. I refuse to worry about those seed oils! Someday, if I find another option without them, yes, of course, I'll switch. But until then, I'm not letting it stress me out!
3. Worrying About What I Can't Afford Right Now
Everyone who has adopted a low-toxin lifestyle can tell you that it's not cheap. Real ingredients and proper processes simply cost more. That's a reality that should be expected.
I've never been fortunate enough to have the money to buy whatever I want. Eating only grass-fed/pastured meat and organic produce and buying low-tox cleaning and personal care products still requires some sacrifice at times.
From the start, I have mostly refused to worry about making swaps that I simply couldn't afford. Sure, I fall into the trap sometimes, but for the most part, if it's not in the budget, I content myself with knowing that I can do it someday.
For instance, right now, I'm hoping for a new water filter since I can no longer get filters for my Berkey. However, the kind of filters I want cost several hundred dollars, and that's just not happening right now. I could stress myself out worrying about whether I'm getting truly clean water out of my Berkey with filters that are past their prime. But instead, until I can replace it, I'm choosing to be content with knowing that whatever it is filtering is still better than drinking straight from the tap.
I also still have some non-stick cookware, and the ceramic cookware I'm eyeing to replace it also isn't in the budget right now. I'm choosing to be happy knowing that I can use my cast iron for many things, and even if I still use the non-stick for cooking things like eggs, I'm still better off than if I used it for everything.
Be Aware With
out Being Overwhelmed
out Being OverwhelmedIt's so easy to worry about all the things you can't do yet, but that won't ever help you. Yes, you want to be conscious of the toxins in your life, but do your best to put worrying aside when it comes to things that you just can't do now.
If it helps, keep a running list of all the swaps and changes you want to make. Whenever you're ready, choose an item you can work on, and concentrate only on that one until you complete it.
At the start of my non-toxic adventure, I spent a year learning to cook from scratch. I didn't work on anything else. Every month, I learned to make something new.
After that, I decided to eliminate fragrance and started replacing items as I ran out of them with fragrance-free alternatives. It took me about a year, and in that time, I didn't worry about my cookware or water or much of anything else. I simply replaced whatever products I ran out of each month with better alternatives. Only after I accomplished that did I start working on other areas.
Remember:
- You don't have to fix everything all at once
- Even the smallest changes add up over time
- It's okay to learn and adjust as you go
- Changes won't stick unless they are livable
Need Help Jump Starting Your Own Toxin Reduction Journey?
Are you overwhelmed? Don't know where to start? Unsure what to do next? Confused about which ingredients to avoid? Lost looking for products or companies you can trust?
If that sounds like what you're going through, the Toxic Home Transformation can help you. We walk through a different area of our lives each month, learning why it matters, becoming ingredient savvy, and gaining resources for alternative options. The program is free for a limited time. Feel free to jump in and work along at your own pace!
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