On New Year’s Eve, most of us vow to achieve a variety of goals. Whether you’re taking a new course, changing jobs, or taking better care of your physical and mental health. After all, we all want a better life, right? Unfortunately, many solutions are lost over the course of 365 days and we are back to the same old routine. If you’ve ever been in this situation, you probably still don’t know why it happened. On the other hand, some simple but powerful wellness rituals can help in this goal journey.
Why do we go back to the “Zero Square” of our Goals?
Before we talk about wellness rituals and how they can improve our routine, let’s understand why we often fall into our comfort zone.
There are two interesting books that talk about the “anatomy” of a habit: how it is formed, aspects that affect its incorporation into the routine, and the difficulty of forming it when it is already well established.
They Are Force of Habit, by Charles Duhig, and Atomic Habits, by James Clear. If you like to read about the subject, write down these suggestions. They both talk about how we persevere and at the same time resist creating a habit, however healthy and enjoyable.
However, when we think about changing something that bothers us or adding a practice that makes us feel good, we need to boil it down to three layers: the first is the actual habit change; The second is to change the processes. The third is to change your identity.
In other words, in addition to wanting change, we need to organize our lives and create ways to achieve it, as well as convince ourselves of its purpose.
Where does the wellness Rituals come from on this journey?
The subject of “habit change” takes up many paragraphs, which is why there are so many books on it. So, since the main objective is to help you have a better quality of life, with energy and moments of rest in your routine, we suggest some simple ways to make it possible.
We will not go into the question of getting up early to enjoy the day more and have time to do what you want, although it is good advice. However, these changes must respect one fundamental thing: your comfort and the ability to maintain the practice.
Therefore, there is no point in getting up before the alarm clock if you do not get enough sleep. Just like it’s useless to force yourself to try an activity you don’t like.
So all of the suggestions below should make sense for your daily life.
Take a 10 minute break every hour
Although it may seem impossible for some people, it is important to try to take small breaks throughout the day, either to stretch your legs or to sit down for a while if you work standing up. Even if it’s a lot at first, try for at least 10 minutes every two hours.
During this time, you can take a short walk, be quiet, or do an exercise to pay attention to your breathing (more on that later). Another suggestion is that you take advantage of this time to remember your New Year’s resolutions and avoid forgetting them in the drawer.
It may sound silly, but doing a different activity for a few minutes or relaxing in other ways will rejuvenate you for the rest of the day.
Stretch
A study of more than 40 women carried out by the physiotherapy team of the Fibromyalgia Outpatient Clinic of the Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSP showed that a few minutes of stretching is therapeutic in the treatment of depression.
Among the benefits of stretching is stress relief, it helps to “wake up” the body, since it stimulates blood circulation and provides a feeling of well-being. After all, while we stretch, our body releases endorphins, the hormones responsible for satisfaction.
The advice is to stretch immediately after getting out of bed and during breaks at work or study. Especially if you spend long periods of time sitting or in one position. Do this service yourself!
Choose an activity that is not negotiable with other commitments
We know that the routine of many people is full of obligations, both at work and in their personal lives. It is these people who suffer from a lack of time for themselves. But how about reviewing your schedule and setting aside just one hour of the day to take care of yourself?
The intention is to set a schedule for you to do whatever you want: whether it’s exercising, going for a walk, reading a book, shopping, or writing. Now for the most challenging part: making this activity an unavoidable commitment, come what may. He really thinks that this moment is very important for your day.
This mentality is a kind of “trick” for the mind to adapt to doing something new, especially on those days when we feel lazy or tired. Try to do this for two weeks without messing up your schedule. Then increase the target.
Another wellness rituals for a lighter routine
Make the shower a special event
If you still think you don’t have time for anything, there’s no need to run away from shower time. Cleaning is a habit that no one gives up and most people shower every day, right? So make showering a regular ritual to recharge your energies.
Buy a nice-smelling soap (the ones that smell like lavender and orange, for example, have relaxing properties) and adjust the water temperature to warm or tepid. The heat helps relieve muscle tension and helps prepare the body for a good night’s sleep.
If possible, light a candle, put on your favorite playlist, and turn off the bathroom lights.
Try a new activity
Write in a notebook all the things you are interested in learning or doing, but that is always left for later. Give one of them a try and see if it has the potential to become a new habit or hobby.
Learn to Breathe
It seems strange that many of us do not know how to breathe correctly. Stop reading this now and watch your breath. It is very likely that it will be short and without any cadence. This happens because we spend most of our time on autopilot. Also, breathing is a natural process in our body, we don’t need to think about breathing.
So here is the challenge for you: choose one of the breaks in your day and suggest that you give your full attention to how you breathe. Note the duration of the inhalation and exhalation and the temperature of the air entering and leaving the nose.
It is preferable to choose a quiet place, with little interference from people and sounds. Do this for 5 minutes and increase the time depending on your availability. It can happen when you wake up, before going to bed, after eating…
How do I discover wellness rituals?
When we receive help from family, friends and professionals, everything can be easier. However, some habits are really difficult to introduce into our lives. Food is one of them. Often the lack of planning associated with anxiety and not knowing where to start prevents us from eating healthy.
It is a fact that in addition to participating in pleasurable activities during the day, eating a well-balanced diet makes a difference. With smart decisions on the plate, we can have the energy to do everything we want and need.
If you need help in this regard, count on Vitat Queda, a journey that will provide you with the support and means to eat better, exercise and feel better about yourself. Click here to learn more!