What is a wellbeing ritual?

A wellbeing ritual is kind of like a habit, but one that is good for you and that you do on purpose with meaning. A wellbeing ritual is a process that you go through each day that will help you work towards your wellness goals of enjoyment, productivity and clarity. 

How to start a wellbeing ritual

Starting a wellbeing ritual involves a lot of trial and error. Your wellbeing ritual will probably not look like someone else's wellbeing ritual so it won’t simply be a case of copying your friends. As your life develops and things come up you will have to keep revising and adapting your ritual to keep it current. The beauty of a wellbeing ritual is that it can be completely tailored to your needs and preferences.

The best way to start is by breaking down your day into four blocks- Morning, Midday, Afternoon and Evening. This gives you a flexible time structure to work with. The first step would be putting in the tasks you need to do in each block. For example, you know that every morning you need to wake up and have breakfast. You know that every evening you need to have dinner and go to bed. This will allow you to feel organised and in control. It will take the guesswork out of your everyday. Then comes the fun part, adding in your wellbeing rituals.  

Mornings: For most, the mornings are the hardest part of the day. Mornings are typically a big rush. After ‘snoozing’ your alarm for the 5th time, you realise you are already late for work.. you throw back the covers and jump into the shower whilst simultaneously brushing your teeth. Instead of falling into this bad habit, try setting your alarm 10 minutes before you have to get out of bed and use this time to begin your first wellbeing ritual. As you are lying in bed, before you think about all the tasks that need to be done or getting the kids ready for school, empty your mind. As you clear your mind, focus on your breathing and your heart rate. This will allow you to begin your day in a peaceful and relaxed head space. You can enhance this experience with Scentered’s Aromatherapy Candles. Light our Happy Candle, inhale deeply and feel your body relaxing as the essential oils evaporate and are absorbed into your bloodstream.

Midday: By the time midday rolls around your mind is probably on what you are going to have for lunch. You’ve had a busy morning of replying to emails and important meetings. This makes it the perfect time for a mental and physical break. Take the time to stretch your legs and take a walk around the building, maybe grab a coffee and sit in the sunshine. This mini break will allow you to collect your thoughts and reground yourself. 

Afternoon: The working day is nearly over and you just need one final push before you can clock out for the day. This is the perfect time to prepare yourself for the next day and set yourself up so there are no panicked deadlines or unexpected meetings. If you find yourself becoming overwhelmed, why not try out the breathing wellbeing ritual that you practised that morning? Relight your Scentered Aromatherapy Happy Candle and the aromas will trigger relaxing memories and feelings, and transport you to a positive mindset. 

Evening: When you’ve returned home from work, every evening when the kids are doing homework and dinners are in the oven, schedule in some ‘me time’. Whether this is a warm bubble bath, reading a chapter of your favourite book or catching up on an episode of Desperate Housewives. Whatever you choose, just do something that is completely for yourself. 

Other rituals you can schedule into your day include stretches. Setting alarms on your phone will help prompt you to move your body and stretch at your desk. This will make sure you don't get kinks in your neck or suffer from weary eyes. You can also include time to socialise in your wellbeing ritual. Even if it is just 5 minutes to catch up with a colleague over tea, socialising can boost your self-esteem and give you a sense of belonging. Additional wellbeing rituals you can incorporate into your daily routine include journaling, meditation, exercise, movement sequences, breath work and healthy eating.

How to use wellbeing rituals to relax

Having a wellbeing ritual, will help avoid any unexpected surprises or mad dashes to get things done. If you have a morning, afternoon and evening routine you will fall into good habits, and ensure you have ‘you time’ already carved out in your day. Having a wellbeing ritual will also set the expectation for everyone around you. For example, if everyone in your family knows that at 7pm you take some time out to watch your TV show, there will be no squabbling over the remote or fuss when you are decompressing form the day.