Does this sound familiar?

You wake up and look at your phone, scrolling through your social media feeds for a few minutes before you even get out of bed. Then it’s off for coffee and getting ready, and everyone in your house, for the day. The next hour or so becomes a blur of half conversations, finding lost last minute things, repeating yourself about ten times, feeling the anxiety and stress build tension in your body as the clock ticks ever closer to everyone being on the brink of being late. And your body begins to send signals that this might be the worst thing that has ever happened and doom, doom, doom is banging on the door, or at least it feels like this. But then suddenly, the clouds lift, the sun comes out and everyone is out the door just in the nick of time, as you rush off to work and need to focus on the next set of fires that need to be put out.

Perhaps your scenario looks a bit different, but I wonder if it doesn’t feel the same in your body - starting the day feeling already behind, tension and anxiety in your muscles, your mind whirling with the to-dos, shoulds and haves - all for other people.

Now, imagine with me for just a moment, that you woke up and immediately put a smile on your face and thought, “how amazing that I woke up today.” Then you sit up in bed and close your eyes, maybe even putting your hands on your heart and belly and just taking 3-5 deep breaths, feeling your diaphragm message all your organs as it contracts and expands with each breath, all while you are thinking, “Thank you cells. Thank you body. Thank you organs. I love you.” All with a smile.

And then you open your eyes and say, “Okay day, I am now ready for you.”

I wonder if you can feel the difference this would make.

Routines or Ritual?

Many people ask me what is the difference between a routine and a ritual. And the answer is - your awareness.

Both are a made up of a series of steps, a sequence of movements that bring about a result. Routines, like the laundry, the dishes, the morning habits of getting yourself and your household ready for the day have steps and are often repeated in the same patterns.

The one ingredient that can change the whole outcome, taking it from mundane to magical - is your presence.

Rituals also have a series of steps or actions, but what make them ritual is how you are connecting with yourself or your spirit when you are doing them. A routine often focuses on “getting the job done” whereas a routine is more concerned with HOW are you getting that job done. The result is far less important than the attention to detail.

Are you focusing on one task at a time? Are you breathing? Are you seeking happiness? Are you feeling into the FLOW that is available?

What is Flow?

Flow is simply knowing what to do, how to do it and doing it free from distraction. When this happens you are able to live in the present moment, feel in control, your ego fades, it makes you feel good, and the time goes by much faster. When you are focused on the detail, the job gets done as with routines, but you feel much better.

And who doesn’t want to feel better?

Flow is having your mind, body and soul focused and in alignment at the same time, doing the same thing. This registers as Happiness.

This is why you feel good. And let’s be honest, it is usually our minds that go off the rails most of the time. The body is doing one thing, the mind is running around doing it’s own thing and so we feel stressed and anxious because our soul is like, wait - what are we doing? But when your soul or higher self, or executive function - whatever you like to call it - gets the brain to stay with the actions of the body you feel calmer and happier, more like YOU.

Simple Rituals to Recharge

Almost all rituals will help you recharge by their very nature of inviting you to slow down and be present with what you are doing, and finding a way to enjoy it. When you are doing the laundry and thinking about your conversation with your kid or the grocery list, you are not enjoying the laundry.

How can anyone enjoy doing the laundry, you say? Here are some ways to enjoy doing the laundry and other mundane tasks that can easily be turned into magical moments:

While doing the laundry - Attempt to tune everything else out and be with your clothes. Do you fold them the same way each time? Focus on the feel of the fabric on your finger tips, the precision of the fold, the love you have for the people who own the clothes, the day you bought that shirt or those pants, how you love comfort or style, how nice it is to have clothes, and space in which to fold them.

Having a coffee or tea or a glass of water: Place your hands around the container and give it a blessing of some kind - happiness, abundance, patience - whatever you would like to have more of to feel calm, connected, effective. Stir it in with a spoon if you add things, sweetener suddenly helps you connect with more joy and happiness, milk or milk alternative with safety and abundance, perhaps even fertility. Let your imagination play - you create your own magic after all.

Morning Routine: I am big fan of the morning routine. Morning routines are like setting the dial of the radio station you are going to listen to that day. If you wake up and reach right for your phone or dive right in to other people’s stuff chances are great that you will be externally focused for the rest of the day. If however you pay yourself first in time, attention and energy, then it becomes much easier to create habits of check-in for recharging and calling back your energy throughout the day.

Waiting in traffic or in a line: Take the time to run some energy. Imagine a stream of golden healing energy (or green or pink) coming from the heavens and onto the top of your head and cascading down your shoulders, arms, torso, legs, feet and into the earth. Do this on an inhale/exhale. ON the exhale imagine that some grounding earth energy (red, deep green, brown) is coming form the Earth’s core up through the bottoms of your feet, legs, torso, arms, shoulder, head and up into the heavens. Do this on the next inhale/exhale. Alternate between Divine healing energy and Earth grounding energy passing through each of your cells, replenishing and healing them, breaking up energetic debris and anything that no longer serves and is sent either into the heavens or the earth and you are being showered and cleansed with fresh energy.

As you can see, simple rituals can be done anywhere and at any time. They don’t cost anything but your attention and your intention. Adding your focused attention onto what you are already doing with consistency is where the healing and magic happen. Over time this will help reduce anxiety and stress, invite in more patience, help you feel more in control and connect more easily to YOU.