It was late when the plane touched down in Bali. I stared out of the cab window, the hot tropical air blowing in—dazzled, shocked, and incredibly excited. I was 21 years old, and like many young people embarking on a rite of passage, I was travelling for a year. Asia was my first destination. The experience felt intoxicating—foreign, strange, and new. The air was filled with the rich, heady scent of Kretek (clove) cigarettes and Frangipani flowers. I got drunk with other travellers, smoked too many Kreteks, and had my first crush on a French traveller with turquoise eyes.

One of my fondest memories is of a local ritual: the daily offerings to the Gods. Deeply spiritual locals performed this practice every morning and throughout the day, unapologetically and with pride, in hotels, restaurants, and even in front of us curious tourists. They were eager to share how much these rituals meant to them, emphasising the importance of being spiritually grounded.

Starting your day with a short meditation, prayer, or gratitude session is a well-known way to cultivate calm and balance, especially during stressful or uncertain times. Rituals can help reduce anxiety and the stress that comes with uncertainty by providing the brain with a sense of predictability and consistency.

Adding small rituals—like lighting a scented candle, brewing your favourite tea, using prayer beads, or playing calming music—can enhance this effect. These sensory cues send a message to the brain to trigger you to feel:   Now I can relax, I feel safe.

When working with clients, I encourage them to consider rituals as a means of structuring their day, supporting mental health, and perhaps beginning to explore spiritual practices. Rituals can also serve as emotional anchors, especially during life transitions or difficult events such as divorce, job loss, or the death of a loved one. They create a space for expression and reflection, allowing people to navigate complex emotions with clarity and purpose.

In his book The Power of Ritual, Harvard Divinity School fellow Casper ter Kuile explores how we can nourish our souls by transforming everyday practices—like yoga, reading, or walking the dog—into sacred rituals. He suggests that these rituals can help us heal the crises of social isolation and purposelessness by reconnecting us with ourselves, others, and our spiritual identities.

Ter Kuile invites us to approach these ordinary practices with intention, turning them into rituals that foster connection and well-being. With wisdom and gentle humour, he makes a compelling case for ritual as a path toward healing our fractured sense of connection.

Engaging in repeated rituals or familiar behaviors can play a significant role in reducing anxiety and nervousness. From a neurological perspective, the brain exhibits a strong preference for predictability and stability. Change is often interpreted by the brain as a potential threat, activating stress responses and heightening feelings of uncertainty. In contrast, repetition fosters a sense of familiarity and structure, which the brain perceives as safe and non-threatening.

Over time, rituals have evolved, adapting to the cultural moment while retaining their essence. What distinguishes a ritual from a habit is intentionality. While habits tend to be automatic, rituals carry symbolic meaning. Even private rituals, like journaling at night or setting intentions before a workout, can become transformative when approached with conscious awareness.

In this chaotic times people feel a growing desire to reconnect with simple, grounding practices. Rituals offer a counterbalance—moments of stillness, ceremony, and shared presence that fulfil the timeless human need for meaning and connection.