\n<\/p>\n
How do you celebrate the end of the year?<\/p>\n
Office parties can be a drag, but if you\u2019re self-employed, it can be easy to roll without ceremony from one year into the next. Three years ago, two friends and I were bemoaning the lack of festivities and decided to make up for it by organising our own end-of-year lunch.<\/p>\n
It has become a beacon in my calendar: we find a restaurant we\u2019ve been wanting to try, book the afternoon off and count down to the date. It always feels special and memorable.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the power of ritual, says Erin Coupe, a transformation coach and author of I Can Fit That In: How Rituals Transform Your Life. She defines rituals as \u201cintentional, rhythmic choices\u201d that bring us energy, presence and meaning.<\/p>\n
At this time of year, it\u2019s traditional to take stock and set intentions for the next. But rituals aren\u2019t just for special occasions, Coupe argues \u2013 they can elevate everyday life. Here are her tips for creating more meaning during the festive season and beyond.<\/p>\n
As well as repetition, structure and action, rituals are defined by intention and meaning, says Coupe. By contrast, routines often carry obligation or duty, and can be carried out mindlessly.<\/p>\n
A ritual \u201cfills you up\u201d, Coupe says: \u201cYou are purposely choosing to do it because you want to, and you know that it\u2019s going to stir something within you.\u201d This also distinguishes rituals from superficial versions of \u201cself-care\u201d that require you to spend money.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s scope to create your own traditions. \u201cSome rituals might be annual, or seasonal,\u201d Coupe says. Instead of exchanging holiday gifts, Coupe\u2019s family takes a holiday in early January: \u201cThat experience is the ritual, being together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The same could apply to something like my freelance festive lunch. Enshrining a monthly meal or weekly call as a ritual makes it more meaningful and more likely to be prioritised, Coupe says: \u201cThere\u2019s a cadence to it. It\u2019s something you look forward to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead of setting resolutions, Coupe chooses a single word to guide her year, based on what she wants to cultivate: for example, abundance, clarity or peace. She displays her chosen word prominently in her home. It\u2019s \u201cless daunting\u201d than a resolution, she says, focusing on smaller and more immediate opportunities for change.<\/p>\n
Coupe also conducts an annual review of her work, looking at what went well, what she could do without and what she wants to pursue more of. Without such check-ins, she says, it\u2019s easy to spend the year \u201cjust going through the motions\u201d.<\/p>\n
More from Why am I like this:<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to bring more meaning to life if you don\u2019t know what\u2019s meaningful to you. \u201cYou have to be clear on what fills you up and what drains you,\u201d Coupe says. She recommends making self-reflection a ritual \u2013 through journaling, meditation, yoga or a regular walk without headphones.<\/p>\n Self-awareness is not the same as self-analysis or self-criticism. Coupe thinks of it as gaining understanding of your thoughts, and limiting beliefs and ways in which \u201cyou are working against yourself\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re not actually aware of what is moving within you, it can\u2019t change,\u201d Coupe says. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to look at what\u2019s going on inside and understand that, then start to shift.\u201d<\/p>\n When Coupe was working a stressful corporate job while raising two young children, she used to get up at 5.15am just to enjoy 45 minutes alone.<\/p>\n Graphic with three lines of text that say, in bold, ‘Well Actually’, then ‘Read more on living a good life in a complex world,’ then a pinkish-lavender pill-shaped button with white letters that say ‘More from this section’<\/p>\n \u201cThat was my time,\u201d she says. It helped her cope better with work pressures, and gradually improved her mood and resilience. \u201cI was more grounded, peaceful and becoming more patient, all because I was fueling something within myself,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t say yes to everything,\u201d Coupe says, \u201cso how do you intentionally choose?\u201d<\/p>\n This year, I turned down some festive invitations so I could be present at others. In the past, I\u2019d have tried to make them all, stretching myself mentally and financially. Unexpectedly, being selective increased my anticipation and enjoyment.<\/p>\n Removing activities we only do out of obligation or habit creates space for more restorative ones. For years, Coupe had a glass of wine after work to \u201ctake the edge off\u201d. She eventually stopped after realising it was more of a drain than a boost: \u201cThere was no intention \u2013 it was just something I did.\u201d<\/p>\n A ritual should feel special, even in a small way, and connect you to the present moment, says Coupe, \u201cbut it doesn\u2019t have to be a grandiose thing\u201d. Small actions can create space and improve our sense of control.<\/p>\n Coupe suggests setting an intention while making your morning tea or coffee, saying: \u201cYou\u2019re allowing your mind to just be present, and not automatically jump into having your energy and attention taken away from you.\u201d<\/p>\n Try reframing routines as rituals. I\u2019ve long been haphazard about making my bed each morning; now, noticing how much calmer I feel afterward makes it seem less like a chore.<\/p>\n One of Coupe\u2019s friends realised her 6am yoga class was actually a private ritual. The mindset shift enhances our appreciation of such activities, Coupe says: \u201cYou\u2019re viewing it from a place of growth and intention, instead of monotony and obligation.\u201d<\/p>\n Rituals can help mark transitions, such as the end of the working day. For those working from home, that might mean closing your laptop, clearing your desk or shutting the door to your workspace, if you have one, Coupe suggests.<\/p>\n Listening to upbeat music on your commute or changing out of work clothes can also signal that it\u2019s time to switch off.<\/p>\n A few nights a week, Coupe takes a bath as part of her wind-down ritual, reading a book in the tub before bed. She also recommends spending 15 minutes on Sundays planning for the week ahead, noting potential stressors and ways to ease them where possible.<\/p>\n For Coupe, embracing rituals was key to easing the daily grind and centering meaning and connection. If you create moments that feel special, that can help you to see life differently, she says.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been surprised by how easy and effective it\u2019s been to introduce new rituals. Things I once avoided, like chores or taking breaks, became more appealing when I focused on what they meant and reframed them as a deliberate choice.<\/p>\n It\u2019s inspired me to look for more opportunities to create rituals, especially those that connect me with others. Rituals aren\u2019t just for Christmas. In fact, at the end of my festive lunch, we agreed to do it again sooner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How do you celebrate the end of the year? Office parties can be a drag, but if you\u2019re self-employed, it can be easy to roll without ceremony from one year into the next. Three years ago, two friends and I were bemoaning the lack of festivities and decided to make up for it by organising<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[2517,21226,1569],"class_list":{"0":"post-38954","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-social-issues","8":"tag-personal","9":"tag-rituals","10":"tag-year"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38954\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/38955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Check in with yourself<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Be deliberate about where you spend energy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Elevate your everyday<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Make the most of transitions<\/strong><\/h2>\n