The Tiny Rituals That Anchor Me

This blog post will be a bit different from my other ones. I wanted to create a list of the small rituals I have for myself every day that I believe are worth noting. My life, at times, can feel overwhelming when everything is rushing forward all at once, but I've found that what steadies me most aren't big, dramatic changes—it's the small rituals I continue to do every day.

These little practices may seem insignificant from the outside, but they create rhythm, give me pause, and ground me in ways that remind me that I am still here. I disassociate heavily and most of the time—I don't feel real. These things remind me that I very much am. They're not extremely fancy or complicated, just tiny promises I hold myself to when the world feels a little too much.

Daily Grounding rituals

• Most mornings, I start out with stretching and then walk two miles on my inclined walking pad. It feels so nice to recharge and wake my body up this way. They were unfortunately right about exercising, it really does help you mentally. I feel like I can take on anything for the day when I start it off this way.

• I write a to do list for the day—decide what I'm listening to that morning—whether it be Morbid, Women & Crime, my Discover Weekly playlist curated by Spotify, music I already know, or whatever I feel connected to that day.

• In the evenings I write in my journal if I have something I want to think over. I've filled out three journals so far for 2025.

• I turn on all of my special lighting at night. I like to keep my living room a warm orange hue.

Body + Sensory rituals

I am very intentional about my shower routine.

• I strongly recommend dry brushes, exfoliating gloves, Daisies exfoliators, and great smelling body wash. Right now I've been using EOS Vanilla Cashmere.

• When I get out of the shower, I look at myself in the mirror and remind myself of how beautiful I am and that I exist here in this body! I do my skincare, go through my gua sha routine, spray myself with Florida Water, use EOS Vanilla Cashmere lotion followed by EOS Vanilla Cashmere body oil and finish it all off with a perfume.

• Most days it's something lighter like Glossier Fleur or Glossier Rêve. Other days or for a night out, I go for Maison Margiela's Replica Jazz Club and lately I've been layering that with Heretic's Nosferatu. I'll even spray perfume on before I go to bed.

Connection rituals

• I try to connect with one of my friends in the morning. I think it's important to reach out to whoever you might be thinking about that morning.

• I call a few people throughout the day, I WFH and as I mentioned in a previous post, going outside can be a task for me with my eyesight. I try to make sure I have some interaction where I hear someone's voice.

Spiritual + Intentional rituals

• I pull a tarot or oracle card in the morning to check in with myself and the universe

• I say short affirmations, especially when I'm feeling overwhelmed

• I ordered We're Not Really Strangers: Self Love and every night, I shuffle the cards like you would a tarot or oracle deck. Once a question flies out, I have a separate journal where I answer it.

• I light a candle or incense each night.

• I meditate when I find myself beginning to spiral.

I think most people know that it really is the small things, even the seemingly insignificant—that have a way of rooting us in the present. No matter how chaotic my life gets, I can always find a moment of steadiness. Whether it's lighting a candle, meditating, or simply noticing the sun shining into my little apartment, these acts create a quiet, healthy, and dependable rhythm in my day. And maybe that's what life is really about—finding the small, repeatable ways to keep ourselves grounded, even when everything else is moving too fast.

So: do the little things we repeat every day matter more than we think? If a candle, a breath, or a sip of tea can ground us, why do we wait to jump into committing to them?