Originally published in print March 2021.
Rituals define us. Whether it’s the specific way you take your morning coffee, a twelve step Korean skincare routine, or simply making your bed and setting alarms, the processes of routine and ritual have far reaching consequences for how we perceive time, place and even ourselves. The two great forces of the modern age (Neoliberalism and Goop) seem to have us convinced that the modern condition is defined by a permanent state of want. The ever-growing chasm between our reality and our ‘best lives’ must be filled by an increasingly costly amount of wellness rubble: clearasonics, curated vitamins, diffusors, sprays, mushroom coffee blends and CBD tampons. The idea of ‘self-care’ in the age of Instagram starts and ends with what is in your wallet. The concept is entirely predicated on the idea that your brand loyalty and purchasing choices hold a meaning that goes far deeper than your shopping cart. I charcoal mask therefore I am. So, what is to be done? How does one make their life absolutely perfect, whilst at the same time, stay true to their (obviously extremely deeply held) anarcho-communist principles? The solution, dear reader, is ritual. Here are four points to get you kick started on your journey towards creating your bliss, aligning your intentions and um…manifesting?
- Have a sleep schedule. The most ground-breaking thing I learnt at twenty-one was the idea of regular sleep and wake times. Lie-ins as an occasional treat are all well and good, but in order to get the right amount of sleep, the internal body clock must be set just right. Those mental health posters in doctors’ offices were not lying to us after all, you must ‘sleep eight hours to make the other sixteen bearable.’ Consider: eye masks, pillow spray and valerian root tablets.
- Talk on the phone. Nothing will make you feel more alive than walking around the house, picking up objects and putting them down again, while basically recording a live podcast with your friend on the phone. If you’re lucky enough to still have your grandparents, ring them too; they miss you.
- Move your body. At the risk of this sounding like some horrendous ‘mental health during corona’ advice article, creating some sort of scheduled movement, regardless of what it is, does wonders for fighting off feelings of existential dread.
- Embrace fanaticism. Whatever it is that you enjoy, go all the way. The idea of doing things within moderation is simply a bourgeois tactic to keep us complacent. Increase the screen time! Drink the wine! Play the video game!
Life in the middle ground gets old very quickly; be fanatical. Rituals are all well and good, but fulfilment is not always neatly scheduled in; find time for passion.
