There’s a lot of misconception about rituals and in this modern day, we use them all the time without even knowing it. A ritual doesn’t have to be that of chants and rain dances, or used by religious cults or in horror films. Many of us think of these examples when we hear the words ritual. While this has been true, more so in the past, rituals go beyond prayers and peace offerings to the gods. There are different types of rituals used in the 21st century every day. For example, wellbeing rituals are basically habits we make, made up of a sequence or collection of things we do to provoke happiness, relaxation or other positive emotion in ourselves. It can be as simple as a morning routine that springs us into action for a busy day at work or a wind-down evening routine to get the kids off to sleep easier.
So, how do you know if you’ve already embedded wellbeing rituals into your lifestyle, but you don’t even know it? Firstly, take a step back to evaluate a day in the life of you. What do you enjoy? Are there any sequences of events that you do at a certain time of day or day of the week, that give you a good feeling? Yes? Then that’s probably a wellbeing ritual of your own. It’s in our human nature to form rituals, it gives the brain something to rely on and makes our days go by with ease and a sense of normality that makes us content. Even if you’re not so well connected with your mind and spirit, you will still undertake rituals of your own kind, and it’s turning these into rituals of wellbeing that help to de-stress, alleviate anxiety and open doors to greater feelings of happiness. It’s not as tricky as it sounds either, by force of habit you could have a completely new lifestyle and outlook on life within a few weeks, just by changing your daily rituals into ones that focus more on the wellness of your body and mind.
If you have become aware that you don’t include any wellbeing rituals in your life, or you want to change bad habits into good ones, then just know it’s never too late and there is no ‘right time’ to start change. Realistically to start, all you need is to be present. This is the key to really getting the most out of your wellbeing rituals. A ritual needs your full attention, with no distractions.
Think about your lifestyle and how you already use rituals in your daily routines, pick out one to begin with, how can you alter this to make it good for your wellbeing, can you add extra time into your day for self care? Could you swap out unhealthy habits like smoking for meditation or breathing exercises to calm the mind? It’s all about finding new habits that work for you, that you will enjoy and see benefits from.
Holistic wellbeing rituals encompass activities that are good for your body and your mind. Think of it as treating your brain just like any other muscle in your body that can be trained, toned and can not work properly if you over use it. A few great wellbeing rituals you can add to your day that are holistic in nature are:
All of these will help better your wellbeing and can be used as daily or weekly rituals. In times like these we need to look after ourselves more than ever. Adding a wellbeing ritual to your lifestyle can ease stress levels and give you something to distract your mind for a while, it’s almost guaranteed to thank you for it.
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