In the last of this series we talk about how to get back on track and clean up our habits!
It has been quite a year, once again! We are in the final countdown to end of year festivities and in most instances, the chaos that ensues. When making decisions about what how much you are going to get involved in the next 3 months, remember to make space for your priorities and the power of no... thank you.
I find silly season is best handled with a strong dose of healthy habits and some good planning. I personally get so much comfort from my rituals and routines. When the world around me starts closing in, its the little things that bring me comfort.
"Ritual is a way of signaling to brain that everything is as it should be"
Erin Wildermuth
As you may know by know I love understanding the brain and what makes us tick. I have listened to many podcasts on the value of rituals, habits and routines and it is therefor no surprise to me that there is good science to back it up. An obvious example of the benefit to improved performance is the well known fact that most elite sportsman have very strict habits and rituals to their training and performance.
We have discussed healthy habits before extensively, and for the most part you should know what is a healthy habit (if not look below for some older blogs on the topic). Here I would like to talk about rituals, routines and how this can become beneficial to daily life.
A ritual is defined as a predetermined sequence of symbolic actions, characterised by formality and repetition, often performed unconsciously. There are 3 basic elements of behaviour, firstly- they occur one after the other, secondly- the behaviours have symbolic meaning and lastly- there is no obvious purpose. It sounds more complicated than it is and chances are you have ritual practise in you life all ready. It can be mistaken for a routine but is essence it is the meaning that it has been imbued with. A wonderful podcast I can recommend is listed below by Dr Ragan Chatterjee - The science of Ritual & how they transform our health, happiness and relationships with professor Michael Norton. It is well known how this practise reduces anxiety and stress, and adds value to everyday actions.
Everyday examples include sleep rituals, religious rituals, training rituals and personal morning rituals. I personally see them and actions that sooth and bring comfort and calm.
"The difference between routine and ritual is subtle, yet profound. It's not what we do but more how we do it. A routine is a set of daily habits we generally perform on autopilot. A ritual, on the other hand, is a routine that has been infused with a sprinkle of ceremony or sacredness and some aspect of mindfulness"
A well know observed sportsman who has ritual practice is Rafael Nadal before a serve. He knows he doesn't need to do it, but when he does , he feels more "ready". It can give us a sense of control, calm and decreased anxiety. A ritual can cross over to a disorder when it no longer serves its goal and affects our function or performance.
I want to encourage is healthy mindfulness and intent in our actions in order to help be healthier and happier, routines with positive purpose. It can make a huge difference in sustainable healthy behaviours. I challenge you to consider what you already do and be more intentional about those habits, routines and rituals that help calm you and perform better. Exercise should be a constant, something you do to be better, be healthier. However, beyond the physical, take care of of your mind and heart. Clean out those bad or unhealthy habits and add more intentional and positive routines and rituals to your day.
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