Over the last two years, I have realised that people want quick fixes, even after being in the doldrums for a long time, but the solution must provide relief like paracetamol! Tiny Daily Rituals Are Becoming the New Therapy.
As a holistic guide and practitioner, I have realised that mentees need reassuring daily rituals they can maintain over the long term.
Two-minute rituals
Not looking for your phone soon after peeling the eyelids in the morning as you wake up. Two minutes of standing on the balcony after you wake up, trying to catch the sound of birds chirping. Pause, breathe, and sip your morning tea as you savour its flavour, remembering the long line of people who have helped bring the cuppa to your lips. Yes, it’s a simple practice of gratitude awareness.
Two minutes of break as soon as your hand goes to check your WhatsApp after every five minutes. Two minutes of slow breathing before a difficult meeting. Two minutes of watering your favourite plant every day and noticing changes in it.
Research into predictable behavioural patterns suggests that repetitive sequences can help reduce anxiety, particularly when people are dealing with uncertainty. That’s why it’s recommended to decide what to wear the next day before going to bed the previous night. It may be about creating tiny moments that tell the body, “You are safe.”
A ritual carries intention and meaning. For me, it’s about having my first meal after my morning ritual of prayer and chanting at the altar. The mind knows what to do next.
India has been doing this for centuries
These fascinating, simple micro-rituals aren’t particularly new. Indian homes have long been full of these small transitions.
Lighting a diya at dusk. Watering the Tulsi plant. Touching the floor before stepping out. Sitting quietly for a few moments after a bath. Practising Pranayama. Offering a prayer before beginning the day. Making the bed in the morning, as soon as you leave it, is a significant habit. Having Chai at a familiar seating, at a set time, and with a familiar person.
So perhaps the morning ritual doesn’t need to be Instagram-worthy. It simply needs to be yours.
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, argues for making habits remarkably small and easy to repeat rather than depending on heroic amounts of motivation.
SUBURB nuggets which I follow
Before work:
Ground myself by putting feet on the floor. Take three slow breaths. Then begin.
Between meetings:
Stretch. Look out of a window to let my mind finish one meeting before entering the next.
Not jumping to take a phone call:
Take three breaths of grace before answering a call.
After coming home:
Change clothes consciously. Wash feet & face. Take two minutes before entering the next role: parent, partner, caregiver.
Before bed:
Put phone away. Do breathwork for 10 minutes.
Write down one thing that went well today.
On a difficult day:
I place a hand on my heart. Breathe slowly. Say: I don’t have to solve everything right now.
It’s a compact ritual, enough to survive real life.