I am Sarah Jane Case and this is Anya Graham and Coffee.

Hello friends, welcome back to the podcast. Happy Tuesday. I hope your days treat me well.

Today we are diving into a conversation around ritual and routine. So we're going to talk about

the benefits of routines, different differentiating rituals from routines,

and reasons maybe some of us would favor rituals or it could support us to think of our routines

in terms of rituals. And then next week we'll get into some practical tips for starting and

maintaining our simple rituals. So let's dive in.

Now I have my own reasons for enjoying a routine. I like lower stress. I don't like to feel rushed.

I like time for self-care. I also really like to prioritize creating the life I want to live.

We talked about this yesterday and the fall planning episode. Like these little check-ins

for me are an opportunity to feel like I'm really consciously choosing my life,

which I think my seven fixation gets caught up in the fear that I won't. Like what if I get to

get into my life and I look back and it's like not I didn't do everything I didn't live my best

possible life. And so routines and structure which can often feel a little restraining for my

sevenness actually offer me more of the results that I'm seeking in that regard. Like if I'm hoping

to have more life, these little routines and structures and rituals give me the opportunity for

that. But there are a lot of psychological and physiological reasons to implement routines as well.

So there are so many benefits like consistency and stability, right? They provide a sense of

predictability in your life and in kind of a chaotic world. And so knowing what to expect can

really reduce the feelings of uncertainty and anxiety, which obviously contribute to our

overall well-being. It reduces decision fatigue. And if you don't know, every decision that we make

no matter how small, it takes mental energy. And there's actually research that shows

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