Sometimes it’s all too easy to get caught up in life and forget to take a moment for yourself, leading to a sense of disconnection in life. There are plenty of small things we can do to give ourselves a chance to reset and rejuvenate ourselves, no matter how busy we are. In today’s post, I’m going to explore some of the ways we can cultivate calm in our overloaded schedules.

---

In case you haven’t noticed, the theme for this month is seeking inner peace as autumn ends and winter begins to creep up on us. Not all of the work we do needs to be ground breaking or time consuming, either! Simply taking five minutes to ourselves can help regulate our emotions and give us a well-needed breather.

I think it’s really easy to get carried away and forget to do these small things. For a long time, I thought self-care had to look like time-consuming bath rituals, face masks and pampering; a spa session; a long walk in the woods. Of course, these are excellent ways to create a sense of calm, but they aren’t always practical!

---

Here are some simple everyday rituals you can engage in to help give yourself a moment of peace every day:

1. Mindful mornings: Instead of reaching for your phone and scrolling in the morning, set an intention for the day. Complement it with some soothing music. Think about something small you want to achieve and how you want your day to go. I believe this helps set your mindset for the day ahead and can shape your mood – your mileage may vary, of course. Sometimes I’ll write it down, sometimes I’ll just make a conscious decision to avoid going through the motions.
2. Time for tea: I’m a big fan of herbal tea at the moment – although I haven’t completely foregone my caffeine addiction. This is more an evening ritual for me, but it might work out for your schedule to take some time in the morning. I love a cup of warming ginger tea and a little bit of honey for sweetness, enjoyed in the quiet of my conservatory.
3. Soothe with scents: I love lighting some incense or a scented candle most times I need a grounding scent, but I’ve been really enjoying simmer pots recently. They feel a little bit more magical than a mass-produced Yankee candle as I add the herbs, spices and fruit to a pot on my stove as I recite a mantra for the day. They’ve also been helping keep some humidity in my home as the heating is on more frequently now. I have some themed simmer pot sets available on my Etsy store if you don’t want the hassle of making your own!
4. Sort it with stretching: Every time I get up and before I sit down, I’ll take a few moments to stretch my limbs out. A little bit of movement can make you feel more energised than slouching on the sofa all afternoon. I don’t know about you, but I always feel better after a good stretch!
5. Dancing for delight: I’m a terrible dancer. It’s a known fact. I have no rhythm and can’t follow set dance moves to save my life. But heck, I am expressive. I love making time for dancing every day, especially when I’m doing mundane things like cooking dinner, washing dishes, or waiting for the bus. It’s a silly way to put a bit of joy into your day and one of my favourites. For good reason, too – studies have shown that dancing is one of the best things you can do to become happier.
6. Adore yourself with affirmations: I’m a big believer in being nice to yourself. I think that if you aren’t nice to yourself, you need your self-esteem to come from someone else and that gives them too much power over you. Write a compliment about yourself in a journal and take it out whenever you need to hear it! Repeat it to yourself in the mirror, say it out loud or just think it – it doesn’t really matter how you do it, but I think it’s important that you do it in some form. Whilst external validation can be useful in developing our self-esteem, I’ve found happiness in being my primary font of compliments!
7. Nurture with nature: It’s a recurring theme on this blog – I’ll not shy away from the fact that I’m a good old-fashioned tree-hugger. If you can, this could take the form of a walk; sometimes I’d allow an extra ten minutes for my morning commute to take a different route through a lane. Other times, I’ll give myself a few minutes in the morning to stand in the garden barefoot. On more rushed days, I’d make a point of noticing budding flowers or buzzing insects as I walked to work.
8. Create for calmness: Allow yourself time to be creative! Again, it doesn’t need to be something time-consuming. It could be a doodle, a scribble, a sentence. Maybe you’ll make up a silly rhyme about something. One of my personal favourites was imaging a bottle rattling around the floor of the bus was a pinball and that I was inside a giant pinball machine.
9. Detox digitally: It’s tired and true, but take a little time away from screens. If television is how you unwind, try some relaxing nature footage instead of a high-intensity drama. Maybe it’s just a little less time on social media you need.
10. Make a point out of something positive: One of the best pieces of advice I received when I started teaching was to find the positive in every day. It doesn’t have to be something huge. It’s really easy to focus on the things that have gone wrong and ignore anything that’s going right. It could be something as simple as seeing a fat pigeon (one of my favourite joy-bringers), making someone else smile or eating something good. Ruminating on my positive at the end of the day got me through a lot of difficult days and ready to get back at it the following day. Of course I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t let anything bother you, but I think it can be helpful to focus on something positive before going to bed.

---

By utilising a few of these little rituals into your day, you can help ground yourself by creating little moments for reflection. I hope these suggestions are useful and help you create a little space for wellness even on the toughest days! Eventually, you’ll develop your own specific routines and rituals, or perhaps even start viewing little parts of your routine as a grounding moment.

I’m always looking for more ideas on how to make life happier – one moment at a time – if you have any more suggestions, I’d love to hear them!