Everyday Rituals for a More Balanced Life: Small Habits Creating Lasting Wellbeing
Wellbeing is often something we aspire to have and assume it will arrive after a major life change e.g.
When work becomes less stressful,
When we finally have more time,
When we lose the weight,
When life settles down.
However, lasting wellbeing rarely begins with dramatic transformations. More often, it grows quietly through the small habits we repeat each day. The exact habits we can often avoid creating by 'giving up' over and over again with sentences like 'I'll start tomorrow, I'll start Monday, or I'll started after my holiday.
It is easy to forget that our real power is always and only in the 'now' and it's those decisions and actions that create the habits that create (or don't create) the change we say we want to see.
What rituals do you want to create?
We often live our lives based on routines and habits that enable us to get done that we've decided (often unconsiously) are the most important things.
Creating a ritual enables us to consciously decide what habits we want to create and more importantly how we want them to feel.
The difference between routine and ritual isn't necessarily what we do, it is how intentionally we do it and whether we feel better in the process.
How do you want to start each day?
Do you really want to start every day reaching for the phone and going down the track decided for you by your phone news, emails and social media channels?
If not, would creating a new ritual or series of them be more restorative? These could include opening windows, stretching, drinking water, standing in the sunshine or going for a walk.
How you want to end each day?
It is easy for days to blend into nights, weeks, months and years where we operate almost on default. Yet the hours before work and sleep can play an important role in our emotional, mental and physical wellbeing if we unplug.
We can stop the routines of dinner, TV and scrolling and replace them with listening to music, warm baths, reading books, and creative projects that bring us joy.
Balance isn't perfection
Everyone experiences busy seasons, unexpected setbacks and difficult emotions.
Healthy rituals won't prevent experiencing negative feelings or experiences but they are a great way to help manage the uncertainty and unpredictable aspects of life.
It can be easy looking at advertising or social media to assume other people are all happier or better in some way but that's a myth. Life for every person will have ups and downs and being able to find balance during the highs and lows is one of life's secret skills.
The only time to start is now
There will always be reasons to wait until life feels easier before prioritising things that will better support our wellbeing, but the only day we can really influence is today.
If you want to make changes but don't know where to begin think about one small ritual you could start today that feels easy. Starting with one small thing won't change everything and it isn't meant to. One small thing done today and tomorrow though will remind you that you matter, you can change, and your wellbeing is a priority.
We all need to remember that the path of growth is rarely linear and the most meaningful transformations rarely happen in an instant. Profound change usually begins with one small choice, leading to regularly repeated consistent actions, until how we live has changed who we are.
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