THE POWER OF RITUALS
If you’re looking to cut stress and boost wellbeing, the answer could be as simple as adding a meaningful habit to your daily routine
WORDS FRANCESCA SPECTER
Arianna Huffington famously follows an elaborate four-step bedtime wind-down every day.Tennis lovers will know the intricacies of Rafael Nadal’s 19-step court ritual before a game.But it’s not just celebrities who like a good ritual.Even among us regular folk, more and more of us are making like civil servant Jeannine Ritchot, who religiously starts every day at 5.30am running with her sheepdog Fergus, before heading into the office.You’d think she’d be exhausted by the time she gets there, but this morning ritual is, in fact, her secret weapon.‘I clear my head and map out how I’m going to tackle the day’s challenges,’ she says.‘It makes me feel a million times better.’