When we think of rituals, if we have grown up in a religious denomination, our minds might go directly to church. But a ritual is just a series of actions or type of behavior regularly and invariably followed by someone. We all perform rituals each day when we brush our teeth, get dressed, prepare to go to bed, etc. When we do these things, we are not exhausting any mental energy, we are not decision making, we are simply on auto-pilot and the task gets completed. When we think about our own wellness we can incorporate the same principle. Once we determine an area of our life we would like to improve or a healthy addition we would like to make to our life, it takes just a few weeks before if becomes a habit as programmed in as brushing our teeth. One of the fastest ways we can do this is by anchoring a new habit into an exisiting one. If we want to improve our self image, we can use the 2 mintues we spend each day brushing our teeth to do some mirror work and positive affirmations. For example, you can recite outloud or in your head, "I'm am worthy of love" every morning while looking in the mirror and brushing your teeth. In this way, you are taking positive steps forward in your personal growth but not "adding" anything else that may eat at your time. Other examples include, putting meals on a special plate (whether it's pizza or a fancy quiche), listening to a audio book that fulfills you while on your drive to work instead of radio surfing, throwing fresh flowers into your weekly grocery order that you can put in a place you will see and enjoy each day. All of these simple ideas, don't take anymore time to complete but they can help you feel better mentally and emotionally. Try one and let me know what you notice about how it affects your overall wellbeing.
In wellness and kindness,
Elizabeth
