Many brush off daily rituals because they appear to limit spontaneity in our lives, but people who engage in them are often better off for having more full and joyful life. The order and certainty that performing an action every day brings, gives them the confidence to face life that is often the exact opposite.
Our brain does not deal well with uncertainty. It is easily overwhelmed. To make up for that, it finds certain actions that compensate for the unpredictability of day because they help alleviate some of anxiety. We all have daily rituals, except some of these are intentional while others are not. We can all benefit from creating rituals that help us achieve our goals and bring positivity into our day.
A ritual is an action that is frequently repeated, often in the same sequence at the same time. For example, rising early is a common daily ritual that is performed at the same time every day but one could hardly first have their coffee before waking up. Other rituals are not so hard coded. We might aspire to meditate, read and have our coffee in the morning. The sequence of this can change because maybe we are too tired to meditate right after waking up and need the coffee to give us a boost so we read while we drink our coffee.
Rituals bring order into our day, they give us structure. Without it, we might not know what to do first. The to do list might have 20 items so we better get started, only to get overwhelmed 5 minutes later and start procrastinate. That is not a great start to a day. Procrastination is fuelled with anxiety and chaos. There are million things I need to do, I can’t finish it all, I better watch some Netflix. Rituals reign in our discomfort because they act like crutches - we can lean on them to navigate us through the chaos. They can also provide a sense of accomplishment.
In its core, a ritual is a form of self-care whatever it is. We take time out from our day to make ourselves feel better. The substance of the ritual itself can also be a form of self-care, although it doesn’t have to be - many writers' daily rituals involved the use of alcohol, opioids or smoking. A massage, weekend away or time away from screens are all often viewed as self-care but dedicating time each day to a daily ritual can be just as beneficial and energizing to our mental health. The brain enjoys the familiar - the predictability of a daily ritual fills us with feelings of safety and joy.
While it might seem counterproductive to spend time doing more when we already have too much to do, but by bringing structure to our lives we gain more time because we are better prepared to perform other tasks. Our mind is at peace and focused, it is not drained from trying to make sense of the world. This is why many writers have daily rituals - it brings out their creativity by eliminating other distractions. Rafael Nadal uses the rituals to quieten the voices inside because while he cannot control what his opponent does, he can ensure that his mind is focused through bringing order to his preparation for each point.
Rituals often become a part of us, whether on purpose or not. They become automatic like habits. If left unsupervised, they can be detrimental such as checking news every morning right after waking up. The best way to stop a habit is to replace it with something else. Creating a morning routine can eliminate that automatic reaction to check our phone because we are too busy performing our routine.
Importantly, a daily ritual should not feel as a draining activity that we dread, or we won’t do it but we will make ourselves feel like failures that we haven’t done them. Yes, all the online articles recommend we get up early but that won’t work for night owls. A lot of rituals won’t suit many people, what’s more, throughout our lives rituals we partake in will change. What was good for us in our twenties, won’t be good for us once we have children. Experimentation and adjusting are key to creating daily rituals that we actually do and that work for us. Don’t force a ritual just because everyone else seems to be doing it.
Rituals are highly individual. I need to get up before 6am, meditate, read, do my morning pages and have my cup of coffee in quiet before the rest of the world wakes up to deal with my anxiety and neuroticism. I know what I am doing tomorrow morning and that helps me be more focused at work and actually getting down to writing. Creative jobs especially seem to benefit from daily rituals. They require committed effort each day.