Cultivating Happiness - Rituals
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photo credit: Ana-Sofia Arizpe
Our daily lives are filled with rituals, many that we're not even aware of. They create a tempo, a pace, as we pass through our daily activities, and a space in time where we can breathe and turn inward. Some might serve as an escape, and some might bring a moment of peace to savor. Perhaps it's the first sip of coffee in the morning, or that moment when the kids have gotten out of the car, for many it might be that first drag of a cigarette (we can talk more about that later).
Recognizing your rituals, is a way to further come to know yourself. What rituals are compulsive, what ones do you want to cultivate in your life? Are your rituals solitary, or do they connect you with other people? How long have you had them? Are they part of your family culture, and passed down through generations? Or are they creations of your circumstances, and forged in the moment? Do you enjoy them? When you think of them and scan your body sensations do you feel light and yearning, or heavy and dreading?
What rituals do you dread? This is an excellent EMDR topic, by the way! Can you think of any ways to eliminate them? If not, then your work might be to try to eliminate the feeling of dread.
What are some of the rituals you enjoy? Try making a list of all of them and then increasing the time you spend doing them.