Rituals impact our emotional and physical wellbeing

I came across an interesting article a few days ago about ritual.  A ritual is defined as a predefined sequence of symbolic actions often characterised by formality and repetition that lacks direct instrumental purpose. Research identifies three elements of a ritual:

• Behaviours that occur in fixed succession –  typified by formality and repetition
• The behaviours have symbolic meaning
• These ritualised behaviours generally have no obvious useful purpose.

Rituals occur surprisingly often within our everyday lives. It’s believed that we form rituals based on our values.  They may also make us less anxious.  Ritualistic practices can help to bring a degree of predictability to an uncertain future.  They convince our brains of constancy and predictability. Overall, research suggests that whether informal, secular, individual or group-based, rituals can have a positive effect on our wellbeing.

I was reminded that I have been neglecting my daily rituals since lockdown ended.  Incorporating daily rituals again over the last few days have already had an impact on my emotional and physical wellbeing.  I would love to hear what your daily rituals are and whether you have managed to sustain your daily practice over the last year or so.

For the complete article:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210914-how-rituals-help-us-to-deal-with-uncertainty-and-stress