Daily Rituals to Bring Peace, Positivity, and Creativity (All for Free!)

The idea of a “ritual” can sound intimidating or overly-spiritual, but with a lighter approach, a daily habit can become an invaluable way to boost your productivity. View rituals for what they are; like checking your email or flossing your teeth, a daily practice does not have to be wrapped up in a dialogues of self-indulgence or spirituality. In fact, these actions take only a few moments and help us to focus, align with our beliefs, and, at best, positively affect those around us. Rituals do not have to be sacred or time-consuming to be effective. In his book, Mason Curry catalogues the daily routines of some of the world’s most successful and creative people like Benjamin Franklin and David Lynch. His examples show that there is no one routine that provides universal success, however, it’s the combination and customization of quirky, healthy, or intellectually-stimulating daily rituals that support the growth, focus, and creative energy that allow us to achieve greatness. Furthermore, daily habits can give us a taste of the joy we feel on weekends when we disconnect with work and experience a sense of freedom or relaxation.

There are a few benefits to adapting daily habits. First, the consistency provided by ritual allows us to take small, consistent steps towards a bigger goal. School of Greatness host, Lewis Howes states, “The key to forming good habits is to make them part of your 'rituals.' I have a morning ritual, afternoon ritual, and Sunday ritual. It's one way to bundle good habits into regular times that you set aside to prepare yourself for the life you want. Rituals help you form habits.” Habits also provide comfort in familiarity. There is something grounding in the regular cup of coffee or daily walk that allows us to experience positive anticipation and a sense of self. Finally, daily habits and practices can also help us think more clearly by freeing up our minds from the minutiae of decision-making and constant choosing.

Here’s a few, mostly all free, ideas for simple rituals that can be used to improve your mood, mindset, and creativity.

Morning Rituals

Tune in to a podcast

Whether commuting to work, or getting ready in the bathroom, a friendly voice of reason can help re-shift our perspective for the day. Choose from work-related, health-focused, or humour-based podcasts to support your individual goals and interests. There are hundreds of podcasts available for free on sites like Stitcher and TuneIn that can enrich your 10-minute morning routine.

Use your words

Words aren’t everything, but they can be surprisingly effective. Great mantras can be found in a host of places- tea bag tags, daily email services, and select social media accounts can all provide a great source of positive affirmations. Though sometimes cliche, the simple act of reading one of these quotes, either aloud or to yourself, can help shift our focus to a different perspective, increasing creativity, motivation, and emotional awareness. Click here and here and here for daily verbal inspiration.

Select your secret weapon

It could be a piece of jewelry, a special water bottle, a pair of socks, a portion of fruit, or any other small, inexpensive physical object that brings you joy. When you put it on or pack it in your bag, take a moment to appreciate this object and the special “secret power”  it will bring you that day. Take pleasure in the small beautiful things that bring you satisfaction, remind you of happy times, or feed your body.

Anytime Habits

Catch a whiff

Use scent as an emotive tool. There is proof that certain scents can trigger emotions like happiness, focus, and sensuality. Whether morning or evening, consider using a diffuser, adding essential oils to your shower, wearing a special perfume, or lighting a candle. It’s a small gesture that can provide a twinkle of positivity or needed perspective-shift that can help link us to a better frame of mind.

Disconnect from work

As a nation, many of us identify who we are, our goals, our emotions, and our achievements with our occupation. Whether we feel deeply connected to our company’s mission, or we have a job that simply serves a financial or practical need, we sometimes allow work to hold our mornings, days, and evenings hostage. Don’t be scared to re-think this commitment, or ignore it for a few minutes. Promise yourself at least 5 minutes a day to not think about work.

Connect to how your body is feeling

Shrug your shoulders, roll your wrists, stretch your hamstrings and breathe deeply. Remember that your brain relies on your lungs, heart, and other vital organs to keep this whole thing going and show some respect for the brilliant machine that you are. Relax your tongue, forehead, jaw, and shoulders to help relieve the tension. If you have a hard time remembering to do this, try making it a habit to stretch every time you use the restroom or visit a specific website.

Walk it Out

Make an effort to incorporate a daily walk into your routine. It might be first thing in the morning (especially if you have a four-legged friend) during a lunch break, or after an evening meal, just a few minutes of walking can do wonders for the mind, legs and heart rate.

Evening Routines

Write it down

Try just one line, one word, or a full passage as a daily written reflection. Making time for a daily written reflection can have several benefits. From bullet journals to gratitude logs, there are tons of options that can help you track a specific goal or grow your awareness of a certain emotion or arena in your life. Remember, all you need is a pen and a notebook.

Show some love

Make an effort to kiss a loved one every morning or every night. It could be a sweetheart, a pet, or a child. If you live alone or far away from those you love, find a sweet substitute, like sending a sweet text or email to someone you care about like a grandma or older relative.

Clean

This can be interpreted in a few different ways. Cleaning is a way to declutter our mind, body, and physical space. Whether that means spending 5 minutes to pick up your bedroom or living room, or spending 2 minutes washing and pampering your skin, this is a great ritual to physically or metaphorically wash away the stress and chaos of the day, prepare your body for sleep, and get a fresh start to the morning.

Make every day count by picking habits and rituals that help you become more of the person you want to be. Find inspiration from anywhere, and don’t be afraid to change it up if it’s not working. Most of all, have fun and find small joys.