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Do you have daily “rituals?” Do you have certain things that you do every single day keep you going strong throughout the day? If they bring joy and fulfillment to your life and are healthy habits, do not let anyone discount or sway you from them. There is an important reason your instincts steer you toward them.

While most people, on the whole, brush their teeth and shower on a daily basis, there are certain habits that people pick up along the way that for some reason become a larger part of their lives. Some people reach for the newspaper at the same time everyday. Some people don’t feel the same without their cup of tea first thing in the morning. And, some even eat their meals at 12 noon on the dot come rain or come shine. And, not only might you find yourself doing certain things every single day, we all know others who have habits they will not break and practice with seriousness, almost religiously.

Why does this happen? Why, as much as we try to admit that we march to a different beat and stick firmly to our independence do we all end up doing much of the same things over and over again; things that ultimately show how connected we really are to one another?

It is my sincere belief that we are all intrinsically creatures of habit. We naturally are pulled toward things in life that bring us comfort. The familiar, things that we can depend on make us feel safe in a world that sometimes seems so beyond our control. When we are able to count on things outside of ourselves in life to be constant and stable, this translates to our mind as a positive reinforcing factor that actually helps keep your mind, body, and spirit at its optimal and healthiest levels. When you feel good and happy your mind creates certain hormones that produce a “happy effect”; a sensation that ultimately keeps you “naturally high” off life.

On the other hand, when you are in a constant state of stress your body works in the opposite manner. It works in defensive mode and after awhile, when in this state of being for too long, it can actually work to tear down your body’s capability to take care of itself properly. When the body is working so hard in an emergency state to keep you safe it cannot properly attend to the rest of your body. This is why in a state of stress people often get sick, feel depressed, etc. This result is not a mystery, but more of a logical science of cause and effect.

So, the next time you feel yourself in a state of over extension and stress, take the time to think about the things in your life that bring you comfort. Think about ways you can spend time doing them more during this time of need. Think of it like “self-medicating” yourself with peaceful walks along the beach and relaxing music in your evenings. It is no coincidence that people often say that moments such as these are soothing to the soul and touching to their hearts. People say these things, because these moments truly do; such moments are powerful and essential to your health and well being.

Take care of yourself and each other.

For more inspirational articles:

• You Can be Anything
• Possibilities are Endless
• Visualization and Euphoria
• Focus Every Step of the Way
• The Intriguing Limitless Power of the Mind