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Force of Ritual: 3 Simple Nature-Led Rituals for Better Wellbeing
By Rachel Grunwell - wellness expert, yoga and mindfulness teacher, author of Balance: Food, Health + Happiness, and mum of three boys.
Want to be healthier and happier? It’s all about choosing consistent rituals – or consistent habits – that you are inspired to do. Start today. Repeat tomorrow. Consistency turns actions into habits, and habits into a lifestyle. Research shows that consistency is the key to sustainable changes and getting results.
Taking time for your wellbeing is essential, not selfish.
Here are three simple nature-led rituals for better wellbeing.
Pick one that inspires you, try it, embrace the journey and see what’s possible.
1. Turn Your Skincare Routine into a Self-Love Ritual
Every day, while applying your favourite natural skincare products, look in the mirror and say, “I love myself because…” Finish the sentence with something new each day. Say something uplifting about yourself, complement yourself. Say it out loud to spread body-positivity. If you have others in your house then hearing words like this can help to spread more body positivity. I call it being a body positivity champion. We need to learn to talk to ourselves like we would with our best friends - with loving kindness and self-compassion. By the way, self-compassion is science-based. It’s a psychology tool that can be helpful for maintaining health, both physical and mental. Self-compassion is when you can talk to yourself kindly when you think you’ve fallen short or failed i.e. instead of criticising yourself for missing a gym session and giving up…. you might instead say to yourself: “It’s ok to miss a session and I’ll try and make it up later in the week”.
Practicing self-love and self-compassion helps us to love ourselves, despite being conditioned to do the opposite.
Imagine what you might say to a friend if they were feeling down. You’d likely say kind words, give them support and help them to see how amazing they are. Practicing this style of positive talk towards ourselves needs to be the same too.
2. Walk Outdoors to be in Nature to Elevate Your Mood
Start by doing this three times weekly for 15-minutes. Slow down, be present, and connect with nature. Walking helps with your fitness, general health, immunity and heart health. It can shift your focus away from anxiety and into the present moment and help you dump stress. In my book Balance: Food, Health + Happiness an expert explains how walking can even help with calming anxiety as it engages the same part of the brain. Enjoy the sunshine too during your walk (hello Vitamin D!) , or even a cloudy or windy day will help you feel more vibrantly alive and uplifted. There’s a lot of emphasis on walking 10,000 steps daily for your health, but that can feel overwhelming for many people and so they never start a walking ritual. Please know that even 2000 daily steps can pack a powerful health punch towards uplifting your wellbeing levels and boost your heart health. Starting your walking ritual is the hardest part. Then once you’ve been walking for a while, you can increase the steps in time if you wish.
Exercise is so crucial for your mind (it helps to spark brain activity), it’s great to strengthen your body, and helps you cope with everyday life better. It also gets you sweating and the blood flowing, which is great for your skin!
3. Strengthen Your Body, Mind and Soul Outdoors to Feel More Powerful
Try 15 minutes of strength-based exercise three times a week. Be a true force of nature. No gym needed—just your body weight. Try push-ups, sit-ups, squats, knee-raises and lunges at a local park. Ease into it gently, slowly and mindfully. Regular resistance training makes you feel empowered, stronger and releases hormones that uplift your mental health.
Ultimately, exercise for joy, not to punish your body. Appreciate what your body can do, not what it looks like.
Pst. Don’t forget your sunscreen.
Get to know Rachel
Instagram: @rachelgrunwell
Website: https://inspiredhealth.co.nz
