Rituals, Routines and Regimens
ritual :- a series of actions that are done regularly and always in the same way
routine:- the normal order and way in which you regularly do things
regimen:- : a systematic plan (as of diet, therapy, or medication) especially when designed to improve and maintain health.
When it comes to a rituals, making tea is one of my favourites. I am an avid tea lover and it’s one of the few things in my day that I cannot rush - a watched kettle never boils…no matter how quickly I want it to. I must instead take my time and focus on the process -
1) Choosing my cup - do I want to finish this quickly or is this cup going to carry me for an hour or two? If the latter, I go insulated so I can keep the warmth.
2) Picking the tea - green, black, white, oolong, rooibos…or perhaps a tisane. Sometimes I am feeling adventurous or indeed of an extra boost and may add some coffee.
3) Finding an infuser…this depends on the type of leaves or may be I am using tea bags. I may also have to heat milk.
I lean into the process and let it happen. I steep, I wait and I savour.
This tea x time energy is one I wish to carry into more of my day which honestly involves flitting between meetings, thoughts and projects but it is these small rituals that hold the day together and eventually create a routine and a regime.
My rituals inform my routine and usually the parts of my days that I have the most control of are my early mornings and my late evenings. My morning and evening routines involve meditation or breathwork, the aforementioned tea, light stretches and a few minutes of journalling. Journalling has been an important aspect of my life since I received my first journal over 25 years ago but until maybe the last 5 years, I did not have a routine around writing. I would chronicle what I believed to be the most critical things, often leaving the pages untouched for months at a time and sharing only what I deemed worthy of mention. I have since realised the beauty in the daily humdrum of life and have been catologuing my life - days and weeks at a time instead of just the highlight reel and have been journalling to better understand my thoughts and feelings, not just to document them. I have found this practice to be helpful in grounding my spirit and cultivating gratitude.
As for a regimen , I would say the one that has been a lifelong one for me is that of skincare. skincare has been a part of my life since before I even hit puberty, the perceived trauma of teenage acne (derived from hours of Disney channel and nickelodeon) lead me to start, for a better word, front loading acne fighting ingredients by stocking up on Clean and Clear foaming face wash and astringent (I can still smell these products when I close my eyes). I may have been on to something because I didn’t get acne until my 20s and by then skincare was properly entrenched as part of my daily routine. It was, like the tea, something I did just for my self, to show my body I cared. I could rush it yes and I had different versions for different concerns but it wasn’t something I skipped. I may scale it back but there was something about those few minutes that always boosts my mood.
As someone with a “neurospicy” brain, I crave the structure of a routines and regimens while also needing excitement and novelty within it. In recent times, my brain has been having a harder time with maintaining certain structures…especially against the backdrop of overwhelm from stress, unprecedented environmental factors (a.k.a. the days and nights are sweltering), anxiety and the ever present feeling that there is just not enough time in the day. To counteract this, I have been intentional with taking time, creating time for my rituals and routines that ground me, even if for a few minutes to help me face the world . The recent messaging around routines has been how to "maxx” them out , be the most productive and the most optimal but for me, I want to live a long and full life and that means embracing each season and adjusting as it comes . Life is filled with ebbs and flows and what has become important to me is consistent progress and not perfection.
Love and light,
UltraRush
