The end of the school year can leave teachers and students feeling depleted. You’ve worked hard, you’ve given your all, and made sacrifices to get where you are at the end of the year. There is pride in this, but also a draining and exhaustion. Before you go forward and enjoy your summer, it is beneficial to give your body an opportunity to detox. Any and all of these suggestions can help you reset, and start your summer refreshed and rejuvenated, leaving any negativity and unhealthy habits from the year behind.

Kidney and bladder detox. You have no doubt wreaked havoc on this body system with coffee, Alani’s, Diet Coke or perhaps all of the above. Spending a week intentionally having a glass of cranberry juice and increasing your water intake will give your body the much needed rest it needs from the extra caffeine intake that comes with the school year.

Digestive system detox. Take probiotics/prebiotics. Be intentional about taking a probiotic daily – not just at the end of the school year, but year round. Drinking kombucha or consuming fermented foods would be super beneficial for your gut health. Increase your fiber intake. Drink more water and increase your exercise. All of these things will help detox your digestive system.

Digital detox. You have no doubt spent more time than you should on screens during the school year. Find hobbies and interests that cause you to spend less time on your phone. Spend more time outdoors. Take up gardening and go for walks. Read more.

Mental declutter. Spend an hour doing a brain dump of all of the unfinished tasks for the year that you can take on next year. Make a list of things to improve for next year. Getting rid of notebooks and papers from the school year can be extremely cathartic (healing).

Detox and reclaim your physical space. The school year, and especially the month of May, can leave you with piles of clutter to sift through and a neglected living space. First of all, take it easy on yourself because you simply haven’t had time, and that isn’t your fault. You do want to take steps to make your home somewhere that you want to be this summer. Show yourself some love by taking the first few days of summer to reclaim your space by getting rid of unwanted items and taking on cleaning jobs around the house that you’ve been meaning to do, and will make you feel great once they’re done. There’s a quote that says, “physical clutter leads to mental clutter.” Get rid of the physical clutter around you, and ease your mind.

Sleep. After a school year of early to bed and early to rise, it may be tempting to jerk your body into a new sleeping routine right away, staying up late and sleeping late. However, it will be more beneficial to gradually increase your bedtime and wake time in 15-30 minute increments. You may also consider to continue to have an early wake up time in the summer and see how that feels to not sleep your day away.

Emotional detox. Young Living and DoTerra as well as other well-known essential oil brands create blends specifically for this purpose. Trauma Life does what it’s name implies, and helps release trapped stress and trauma from the body. Sara is similar to Trauma Life but was created specifically for ritual abuse or repeated trauma that has occurred over and over again (like being in an unwanted class all school year). Release is a powerful blend that enhances the release of trauma from the cells of the liver, where anger and hate are stored. Juvaflex blend also aids the body in cleansing the liver and detoxifying the lymphatic system. Again, anger and hate are stored in the liver, and Juvaflex and Release both help in expelling these emotions from the body. You can find these oils here. The school year always seems to bring with it strong emotions, so leave it all behind with the aid of one or more of these powerful blends.

Epsom salt baths. Epsom salts pair well with essential oils. Get yourself a cup size jar and add epsom salts to your jar. Add a drop or two of essential oils. Lavender is great for relieving stress and you will benefit from the aromatherapy as well. Adding any of the aforementioned oil blends like Sara, Trauma Life or Release to epsom salts would be extremely beneficial.

ACV baths. Apple cider vinegar baths are also detoxifying. Add two cups of apple cider vinegar to your bath to extract toxins from your body.

If you’ve ever felt the numbness or what I call “summer whiplash” where you struggle to start enjoying your summer because the school year has left you shook, try these detox suggestions for a much needed reset so you can move on to fully enjoy the summer you deserve.