The Power of Routine and Ritual

I am a creature of habit. A servant of routine and ritual at times. In my life, I find that routines and rituals serve me. Let me explain.

But first, what are routines and rituals? Routines are sets of actions regularly practiced. Rituals are actions that have the addition of meaning and purpose. Routines can become rituals and rituals can become routine, but not always. Some examples of routines are morning and night sequences of actions, work or class schedules, or even athletic practices. Rituals can include prayer, food, and celebration. Some people hate routines. I like them.

Routines

1) Routines help ground me. They calm my nervous system by telling it what to expect. I don't have to face a day in sheer panic because I know I have a morning routine list that I stick to. I don't have to fear day's end because I know I have a bedtime ritual that helps calm me before sleep. Even when in-between times are crazy, I make time for these routines because of their impact on my sense of peace.

2) Routines help me get important stuff done. With routines, I know that each task of the week (cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.) has a set time. I can worry about that chore only during that time (or that is what it is supposed to do). Without routine, I feel under constant pressure to remember all my "to-dos." 

3) Routines help reduce feelings of scarcity. When I recall that a certain day is grocery day, I feel less anxiety about running out of a certain item. When I remember that I will my husband at dinner every night, I feel less panicked when he can't respond to my text during the day. Routines of e-mailing my family help me feel like they are close, and not far away, even if I am not seeing them in person.

Routines serve me for many reasons. They also help me remember my rituals. I include rituals in my routines to both calm me and get important stuff done. In that way, the two are interwoven.

Rituals

1) Rituals connect me to God. I include prayer and Bible reading in my morning routine because I need access to my Higher Power and to His truth. I struggle with the craziness of life even with these things. Without them, I am unfounded and ungrounded.

2) Rituals help me celebrate and find joy in everyday moments. For example, my family of origin and now my husband and I have pancakes for breakfast most Saturday mornings. This is not something we can do every Saturday, but doing it most Saturdays marks that time as special. I also drink tea, coffee, or hot chocolate with most of my breakfasts and night time snacks. I like my drinks really hot, which means I have to slow down and savor them. That helps me slow down and center, and that calm benefits me for the day or night ahead.

3) Rituals help mark time. I walk in and out of my home or office between tel-events. That action used to be routine, but with COVID-19, it has become ritual, the ending of one thing and the beginning of another. In the blur of life, I need that.

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Routines and rituals serve me. They quiet my and calm me, but I also have to be careful not to get too attached. Life is not always predictable, and I often need to be flexible. But where I can, I will continue with what works because, it works!

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Please feel free to share any routines or rituals you observe in the comments section.