5 Rituals to Improve Your Daily Routine
Rituals to enhance your daily routine and keep your mind grounded.
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Yesterday I posted a video about my morning routine, and I couldn’t help but notice how often the idea of routines and rituals has been coming to light lately. Routines and rituals are a huge part of keeping my mind healthy, and the difference in my energy, productivity, and happiness is obvious when I commit to these few routines in my day. A ritual is whatever you want it to be. It can be when you’re brushing your teeth and reading post-it affirmations in the mirror. Walking the dog. Whatever it is that makes you disconnect, live in the moment, and remember that your thoughts control your day! May as well make them happy thoughts.
- Coffee
My all-time favorite daily ritual is my mug of coffee in the morning. Better yet, waking up at 9 am to the coffee smell lofting into my bedroom and through the house. Made with love and Brandon’s anxious hands preparing for another day. An open heart. A fresh start. I can’t wait to see my family smiling “good morning” at me when I walk through the door. My love. My home. My HEART. Like I said, all-time favorite. - Setting Intentions
Setting intentions pairs nicely with a cup of coffee. Something that I personally struggle with is having goals and intentions that are too broad. Brandon asks often what my day looks like for work. I usually just respond that I’m “working on my blog.” Well, duh. But what can I do today? Specifically? A blog is such a creative process and space, setting clear intentions for yourself and others for what will bring you closer to the big goal will be what brings success. Saying I need to work on my blog isn’t going to get me any results.
Setting intentions for your day or week as part of your daily rituals puts the idea in motion, prioritizes what’s important to do, and silences any overwhelm. If I say “I’m writing about setting intentions today, and I have a great idea for a video that I’ll need to shoot this afternoon,” I can easily check each one off the list.
That goes for anything. If those dishes in the sink are haunting you, take time in the mornings to set your intentions. Write it down, and get it done! Focus on one thing at a time, and do the thing. Quit stressing about how it’s supposed to look or how much time it’s going to take and just do what you can. If you want to hear more thoughts on setting intentions, head over to the Setting Intentions blog. - Bath
Sometimes when the mood strikes, I skip that episode of whatever-the-F&%! I’m watching and start my bedtime routine early with a bath. All of it makes me happy. Letting the bathroom get steamy. Getting the candles together to essentially build a bonfire to see well enough to read my book. I’ve been known to bring my bedside table lamp onto the toilet so that I can read my books in the bath.
I go around my room finding all of the things I want to put on the rug next to me: a water bottle, a glass of wine, a pax pen, my journal, a book, another book, do I have any magazines?! Sometimes I’ll bring my speaker and listen to Bon Iver in the candlelight. Guys….it’s as good as it sounds.
A hot bath is one of those intentional rest rituals. Nothing feels better than knowing this is your 30 minutes of uninterrupted time to do and think whatever you feel like doing and feeling.
4. Movies
As many of you know, we are huge movie buff’s in this house. Brandon and Conner in particular. One of our tried and true rituals as a family is to watch movies and shows together. We have Sunday bum days and pick at least 3 movies to run through. We like watching new movies, of course, but there is something comforting about that movie you’ve seen a million times. Knowing what they are feeling, knowing what will happen next, quoting every line. It’s like singing your favorite song in the car, there is something very cathartic about the whole experience. A comforting story will help you to relax and ease anxiety.
5. Making Dinner
Making diner is maybe a little unexpected for this list, but hear me out. Rituals are something that you can do every day, that you have a routine for, that realigns your mind back to your body. Cooking dinner can mean running through the chic-fil-a drive-thru, popping leftovers in the microwave, or pouring a glass of wine and cooking a big dinner for you and your family. The ritual of preparation and appreciation for food and family is a very grounding experience.
I challenge you to write down things that bring you back to your center. You’re probably already doing daily rituals without even realizing it. Stay well, friends!
