How to Create Ritual in Your Daily Life
One of the best gifts I have given myself is permission to be in the moment with whatever comes up. Do you know how hard that actually can be to carry out?
To lean in towards the uncomfortable and chaos instead of side-stepping or numbing it is a skill we really should all be taught at a young age.
In order to dive into this state of mindfulness (and believe me there are times when I fail at this intention), I have daily rituals in place that give me the time and space to connect with myself and my intentions. Without this practice I know I would not be where I am right now.
Do you have time set aside for yourself?
Having a ritual in place in the midst of everyday life is critical. Today I am sharing three tips to help you carve out sacred space in your daily life to support your connection to yourself.
This will support you in leaning in when things get uncomfortable and to find your own answers instead of leaning out to seek external sources of support and validation.
Schedule Time For Yourself
Time is what you make it and you must, must, must put yourself on your calendar. If you do not have a chunk of time where you devote yourself to yourself, I highly encourage you to do it now. This is something I work with every single client on because believe me, you are not alone in not having a system set up to properly support yourself on this level.
You can begin to shift a few things by simply finding time and scheduling it on your calendar. Even if you start by putting a reoccurring, daily reminder on your phone for 10 minutes to light a candle, sit down and read something inspiring between clients, calls, nap time or errands it will begin to ground you. Do it now and see what happens.
My writing mentor recently sent me a sample writing schedule and every day includes a block of time in nature because she knows nature is inspiring. That time alone is sacred and very much necessary for creative forces to come forth.
This is relevant for every woman in whatever stage of life you are in and whatever job you may or may not hold. It is so necessary to have uninterrupted time for ourselves.
We can only give so much of ourselves and I know you, Kimberly, are a giver.
So, fill up your cup, or in this case your calendar, with some self-declared ME time. Check the guilt at the door. It is not needed here. You deserve it and you can create pockets of inspiring time for yourself.
(If you find yourself bumping up against any guilt or schedule conflicts, email me. I’m really good at finding pockets of time for self-care. ;))
Manage Your Own Energy
Having rituals in place only work when you have the energy and commitment to sustain them. I spent a lot of last year with the guidance of my coach and a shamanic trainer to learn how to manage my own energy. Part of managing my energy was first understanding what was mine to manage.
As a highly sensitive and intuitive person, I was walking around with energy that I had picked up from my children, my partner, my father, my clients, a friend, the school I picked my kids up from, a person I spoke with at the store, you name it! I had to learn how to determine what energy was mine and then learn how to clear it and release what is not mine to hold on to. This was some of the most important work I have ever done in my life.
I learned a very important lesson along the way that has changed me: It is not your job to balance the energy in your home. It is your job to manage your own. Now, clearing my energy and space is part of my daily rituals, as well as my work with clients. Many of us are highly sensitive, intuitive or empathetic individuals. It is a natural gift and talent we have that is not always cultivated. We have not been taught how to manage our energy, clear energy or work with energy. Yet, this is a fundamental key to knowing yourself, discovering your purpose and living a soul-aligned life.
Having a daily ritual and sacred space and time support you in managing and deepening your intuitive energy is so important.
Set Loving Boundaries
Beginning to set aside time for yourself in your daily life can be very challenging. Once you set aside the time, set boundaries and stick to them to manage your energy and connect with yourself.
As we deepen into the season of Summer, a season ripe for fun adventures, long, delicious, soul-satisfying days and carefree evenings, it will serve your energy to have boundaries in place.
Personally I have learned that in summer I have to hold stricter boundaries for myself and my work because I work from home and my children and spouse (a teacher) are all home. It is so heartwarming to have everyone here and yet also triggering at times because we are not used to it! We all crave our routines and personal space and learning to create the boundaries that work for each of us is a necessary step in our summer transition.
In crafting your own rituals, set loving boundaries so your children or partner know why they cannot disturb you. In understanding that you are setting time aside for yourself so you can be a more “centered, calm, happy, energized, mindful _____” Mommy/Partner, they will begin to see the benefit for themselves.
This can be hard for those of us doing it at home with others around. Stick with it. It may not be visible in the beginning but soon they will learn that you are keeping to your plan and they will eventually learn to not disturb you and will be on the loving end of receiving your attention when you are done. Plus, you are modeling for them what it means to set aside time for something that is good for you, much like exercise, and holding boundaries for what is important. When you get what you need, everyone usually wins.
Part of creating sacred space and a daily ritual is to set intentions, to quiet your mind so you can listen to your intuition, to your higher self and begin to create the waves of change you desire and seek.
Don’t fret if you get stuck. Set intentions so you know your ritual is focused and productive and when it’s done, complete it and carry on with your day.
The most important thing you can do is give yourself time, space and energy. Let me know how you make out! For accountability, comment below and let us know what you are doing and when. I am here in full support of you.