I attended a beauty breakfast this morning with Elle MacPherson at Net-A-Porter to celebrate the launch of her new Super Elixir supplement. The event got me feeling so inspired about the topic of wellness. Elle’s belief is simple: “If you feel good, you radiate.” With these goods vibes and thoughts fresh in my mind, I wanted to take a moment to discuss a wellness related topic that is so important but often overlooked: the mental detox. I’ve covered how to detox the body in my recent posts about the Clean Program and my 21-day cleanse, but I think it’s time to switch gears a bit and talk about how we can make our minds just as radiant and glowing as our skin. There is so much hype surrounding the millions of ways to detox our bodies from the foods, alcohol and beauty products that are harming our health. I have written about detox baths, detox tea, juicing and my resolution to live a healthier lifestyle, but I have yet to touch on the subject of an internal energy switch powerful enough to stop negative thoughts that creep into our minds all day long.

These thoughts often times get in the way of our happiness, substantially harming our quality of life…and even making us less beautiful. We stress, we worry, we get angry, we overthink, and sometimes its just exhausting. I believe that happiness comes from the inside, not something we achieve outside of ourselves. I spoke with my spiritual mentor Jennifer Kass about the easiest ways to eliminate negative thoughts and find inner peace. I truly believe that when we’re the most in touch with ourselves, we are the most beautiful.

For more tips on how to be happier (and more beautiful) check out one of my other posts here.

“Happiness is the goal. But it is not something we can fake, force or push. Happiness is also not something that we feel all the time, nor are we meant to, because sometimes we are blocked by old patterns, thoughts and emotions that keep us from our best self. Fear has been running the show for way too long — a mental detox is the first step to clearing the blocks. This is the path to sustainable happiness: Happiness from within, so everything else on the outside can shine and glow.

Stop a negative thought right in its tracks, prevent mood swings, and feel more mentally balanced using these five self-care tools. When we change our thoughts, we change our energy, and this new, clean energy helps you overcome obstacles and gets you into the flow of a beautiful life.

1. Identify the negative thought. We can’t change what we can’t see. I’m sure you’ve heard of the word “mindfulness.” Well the reason we want to be mindful is so that we can witness when there are toxic thoughts in our mind. They pull down our energy and drain us, cause us fear and worry and block us from creative solutions and joyful experiences. When you are staying more present with your thoughts, don’t judge them, just observe it as a thought that is not happiness, not love, and not aligned with who you really are. It’s just a thought and you don’t have to believe everything you think. Try using an intention, “I’m willing to see this differently.” Expect a subtle shift in your mind and energy when become more conscious.

2. Exercise. Yoga, walking, running — whatever works for you! — will shift your thoughts and energy as well as your body’s hormones and chemicals, boosting your overall happiness and neutralizing the mental chatter that might be blocking you from your happiness in the present moment.

3. Write out all of your fears. I know, this sounds horribly scary. This is exactly what you’ve been trying to ignore and run away from. But when we look at fear straight in the face, it can’t control us anymore and we can take some of our power back by detoxing from some of these stories we’ve been telling ourselves that have been keeping us stuck. Pull out a piece of paper, write out all of your fears and burn it. Now, as you move through your day, you can witness when these bad thoughts come in and do the work to clear them, using the rest of these tools on the list. I am not kidding, this works!

4. Meditate. The guy isn’t calling? Overtaken by a craving? Stressed out about a work project? When we stop, drop and meditate, we can access our peace in the moment regardless of what is happening outside of us. There’s no point in being at the mercy of everyone and everything outside of us — we actually can be in control of how we feel if we just give ourselves the chance to connect with our true source of peace within. When we feel good, that’s when things on the outside begin to fall into place.

5. Forgive yourself. You’re not going to be perfect — you’re a human — you will make mistakes. Your food won’t be perfect, your words won’t be perfect, your hair won’t be perfect. Surrender all of it. Give yourself a break and stop beating up on yourself. Instead begin a daily practice of self-forgiveness when you notice the negative thoughts coming into your mind and analyzing, making you feel not good enough, worrying or tearing you down. Use the mantra, “I forgive and release myself now.”

You hold the power. You are the creator of your own reality and your daily practice slowly builds and grows your internal core strength, the strength that leads you to your best self and happiest life.”

To learn more about how to deepen your self-love and create a life you love from the inside out, download your free copy of The Happiness Blueprint.