Word Rituals: How I stay sane and joyful

Surviving adulthood with words

Can I tell you something in confidence?

I’m a big baby.

Seriously.

I need a lot of encouragement, support and love to keep going. You can even say that ‘Words of Affirmation’ is one of my much-needed love languages.

During my school and college days, I used to seek these from my people - family and friends. The journeys and difficulties at that time were something they understood and could empathise with.

But things became different when I started taking ‘The Road Not Taken.’

The challenges were new, struggles were unrelatable (and even unnecessary to some) and I also had to grow up and be an adult.

While I could always reach out to friends, I also understood that I needed to have my back. I needed to be the kind voice that I needed the most. So, I started writing for myself, as a way of cheering myself up, as a way of support and as a way of self-love.

Journaling

It’s an everyday practice. What started as a brain dump, reflection and intention-setting exercise is now a reassurance exercise. Every time I get overwhelmed or sad or lack motivation, I talk to myself through my journal.

I acknowledge my feelings and assure myself that it’s going to be okay. Encouraging me just enough and giving me one small thing I can do to make things better. No one knows my everyday woes like my journal does.

Hype Songs

I’m a lyrics person. Words are what I pay most attention to in songs and I listen to a lot of songs! And lately, they are my source of affirmation and motivation.

I don’t stand in front of the mirror and say things like ‘I’m strong. I’m capable. I can do this.’

Rather I stand in front of the mirror and sing
“I'm unstoppable

I'm a Porsche with no brakes

I'm invincible

Yeah, I win every single game

I'm so powerful

I don't need batteries to play

I'm so confident

Yeah, I'm unstoppable today”

It’s usually Tamil (my mother tongue) upbeat songs though and they never fail to lift me up!

Intention Setting Prayers

As a freelancer and creator, my entire day is up to me, spare a few meeting times. How I spend my time is a choice and restrictions are very few. It’s a life I have designed for myself and sounds like a dream, doesn't it?

But with great flexibility comes great inertia.

With endless choices comes decision paralysis.

With lack of a guidance comes confusion and self-doubts.

I cannot tell you the number of times I have been sidetracked (by the rat races I convinced myself to run thanks to social media), dropped projects (because I got too overwhelmed with the big goals and no guidance along the way) and felt stuck (because there were so much that I could do that it was too much and left me paralysed).

This time around, when I started my creator journey, I realised I needed a little more than my ever-spiralling brain to keep me on track. So, I wrote myself some intention-setting prayers for each of the aspects I wanted to focus on in my life right now.

I wrote a whole blog on this Intention Setting Practice.

I read these before I do what I want to do and it’s like an intention prayer that keeps me on track.

Open When Letters

It’s probably one of the most romantic gestures that I know. I asked someone special to write these for me when I decided to leave my city for college 9 years ago. I was terrified of managing all the challenges alone and like I said, I’m a big baby who needs a lot of love, support and encouragement. So, I got the envelope, explained the idea to them and got them written. They kind of got me through the first year of college.

This time, as I’m planning to embark on a solo adventure after a long time, I can feel the same fears coming back. I’m already anxious even though there is over a month’s time for things to actually start. So, this time instead of asking for someone to write me Open When letters, I wrote them for myself as a birthday gift.

Even as I wrote them, I felt stronger and more ready and excited for the adventure.

Honestly, I don’t know if my writing is worth anything to this world. But the number of times my words have saved me! The number of times it’s been my support system! The number of times it has helped me gain clarity! I cannot begin to explain. And for that, I will always be indebted to my writing and will always keep writing.

Do you have any personal rituals that bring you peace or joy? I’d love to hear about them and maybe even discover new ones for myself!

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Little Joys

“Joy is always around if only we pause to acknowledge it.”

With life's burdens and big ambitions, it's easy to overlook our everyday joys. So, let’s take a moment to notice them. These are my small joys from last week -

• I wrote myself Open When letters for my upcoming solo adventure.

• I had a solo art date with myself at home. Prepared fancy food, put on fairy lights, and dressed up… and spent a quality evening painting rocks.

• After a week of break, I spent a lot of time writing and reflecting on things.

• Took pictures of myself after forever.

• Danced my heart out with a very pretty full moon in the sky.

What were your small joys of the week?

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Joy Circle

This weekend’s Joy Circle is all about setting the stage for more joy in the week ahead. We plan for success, so why not make space for joy too? If dedicating an hour on Sunday to a joyful boost sounds appealing, join us for the session! It’s going to be a blast!

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P.S. If you enjoyed this, here are a few pieces I think you’ll love:

👉 Today I got my sh*t together. And I realised tomorrow I might not.

👉 Maybe the Dedication Is Not Worth It. I'm choosing joy today over the promises of hustle.