In today’s society we are often bombarded with messaging concerning the necessity of self-care for our overall well-being. While the validity of this remains true, it can feel as if implementing forms of self-care should be second nature, when the reality is so many of us live busy full lives that don’t always allow timeslots in our day to nourish ourselves. Between obligations, goals, commitments, and community, self-care can easily become lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

The benefits of self-care go without saying, but so often we are bought and sold the idea of self-care merely in its physical form. That being a bougie face mask, some fire CBD epsom salt for a steamy bath, or maybe a speciality wine for wine down Wednesday. While all forms of self-care have their place, implementing small consistent simple actions of self-love has the capacity to change our relationship with ourselves on a deep and fundamental level. 

A ritual by definition is described as an action arising from convention or habit. With this understanding of the formal definition of a ritual, we can begin to spin it on its head and reframe our understanding of rituals to be more than mere habits. Rituals are sacred actions taken for ourselves as acts of loving kindness. 

Forming a ritual implies a constant action and way of being. A simple hack to implementing rituals is the concept of habit stacking. Habit stacking is a fun trick where a new habit is ‘stacked’ or paired with an existing habit.

 Some examples of habit stacking could be every morning while having your usual cup of coffee taking the time to jot down five things you appreciate about yourself or others, or leaving your favorite essential oil by your house keys and on the way out in the morning scenting yourself and setting an intention for how you’d like your day to go. For a nightly habit stack, practice a visualization meditation every night as you are taking a shower where all of the stress and worries from the day are being cleansed from your body through the water. 

Some other daily examples of self-care rituals could include, clearing and cleaning your home with palo santo or sage after work, brain dump journaling any stressors from the day before bed, doing a self-massage after a bath, turning off your devices and spending time present with loved ones at dinner, or creating dedicated time and space to process any big emotions on a weekend. 

Overall, ritualizing self-care habits into a routine has the potential to boost overall happiness and well-being. It shouldn’t be underestimated how small efforts towards caring for ourselves can reap rewards in every area of our lives.