Routine & Ritual
The brain is brilliant at forming connections and we can use this to the benefit of our mental health and fitness when introducing new practices. Here’s what we mean. If you decide you want to try the 30-day meditation challenge, a way you can increase the likelihood of managing it 30 days in a row, is to form a connection between an existing habit and this new one. You would do this by making an addition to a personal routine you already have in place.
So that might look like meditating each day right after showering and before your first cup of coffee. After a few repetitions, the end of the shower becomes the mental cue that it’s time to meditate. This isn’t magic. We still have to show up for the commitment we’ve made to ourselves and won’t always be in the mood for it, but it’s a built-in neurological support we can activate.
That’s routine. Ritual is a little different, although sometimes the two overlap. Ritual is when we do something to make an action more intentional. To use the meditation example, you might decide to light a particular candle or incense each time you meditate. You might sit in the same spot in your room. Some people have a scarf they put over their shoulders or a cushion they use. Rituals are actions we repeat that make the practice feel set apart from the everyday, special. They can then trigger the brain to move through any resistance more quickly and drop into connections previously made between the ritual and positive feelings/sensations associated with it.
Learn more in our Mental Fitness Training Guide. (link in bio)
✚ What is one addition you can make to your daily routine that will benefit your #mentalfitness?