Dear Readers: When hectic schedules emerge, how can you stay grounded through rituals and why do they matter?
Take some of history’s most successful people: Charles Darwin typically began his day by walking around a gravel track close to his home; Georgia O’Keeffe drank some tea in her bed every morning; Jane Austen played the piano.
At their essence, these are all a matter of habits. According to a research study conducted in the U.K., it took approximately 66 days for participants to form a habit related to their health.
Erin Coupe, CEO of Authentically EC, a training coaching and personal development company, and author of “I Can Fit That In,” explained the difference between a routine and a ritual: “A routine is something you do to get things done. A ritual is something you do to feel more alive so those routine things aren’t so draining. While routines are driven by efficiency; rituals are driven by intention,” said Coupe.
Coupe said rituals help bring your whole self to what you do. “Professionally, they enhance focus, creativity and presence. Personally, they restore balance, connection and fulfillment.”
Rituals aren’t about getting more done; they’re about being more intentional with what you do.
“When you lead your life with ritual, you stop chasing time and start shaping energy, and that’s what truly sustainable success looks like. They’re how you create space to fit in what truly matters to you.”
Incorporating rituals, Coupe said, can transform your life because they reconnect you to yourself. “They shift your relationship with time, energy and purpose. When you live without them, life can start to feel like one long to-do list, very transactional and surface level. When you bring ritual into your days, life starts to feel richer, more aligned, more intentional.”
While Coupe doesn’t recommend one specific ritual, the most effective morning rituals may include a few key elements: stillness for three to five minutes, movement for five to 10 minutes and intention for two minutes.
“Before reaching for your phone, take a few slow, deep breaths. Ask, ‘How do I want to feel today?’ This centers your energy,” said Coupe.
For movement, stretch, walk or move your body. This will activate your energy flow and for intention, visualize what you’re stepping into and consider the type of presence or energy you want to bring to your day.
Then, throughout the day, you can incorporate micro-rituals, intentional pauses to reset your energy between tasks. Whether they’re 30 seconds or three minutes, they can be a pause that you need. For example, Coupe said, “Before you close your laptop, name one thing that went well that day. It’s a quick gratitude practice that rewires your brain for what’s working, not just what’s next. ”
Close out the day with an evening ritual, which Coupe said is the “bridge between effort and ease.” Evening rituals help your nervous system toggle from a state of doing and into being.
Above all, especially during chaotic holiday schedules, the goal isn’t to try to perfect your schedule. Coupe said, “It’s to realign your life around what energizes and fulfills you.”
Tribune News Service
