In the last months of 2025, I was recalibrating. Those months were shaped by an ongoing reframing of anxiety and a softening of perfectionism, themes I had explored openly at the end of the year. Writing about this while re-entering my own creative rhythm after a long pause felt tentative at times, but also honest. Bear with me as I find my voice again here. This reflection is part of that unfolding process, arriving in real time rather than fully formed.
As I discovered what worked for me, I never expected rituals to become one of those anchors. Back when I was a free-spirited soul, I let the messy parts of life lead me. I moved wherever the wind whispered. But with age, stability became a priority, and with that, safety too.
In my previous post about New Year’s Fresh Starts and Rituals, I explored the psychology behind ritual: how lighting a candle or marking a temporal landmark can steady the nervous system and offer the mind a sense of renewal. But as the weeks unfolded and the year settled into itself, the question shifted. Knowing how ritual works in theory is one thing; living with it, repeatedly and quietly, is another. This post sits in that in-between space, carrying forward the intentions of the New Year as we move toward Imbolc, not a fresh start, but a continuation. I wanted to see what would happen if I brought those ideas inward and made them part of my everyday life.
And I did.
Rituals grounded me in ways I didn’t expect. Living with C-PTSD means navigating intrusive thought patterns that can spiral quickly. When I intervened through ritual—lighting incense, cleansing my space, or returning to the same candle through the first few weeks of January—those spirals were interrupted and I was brought back into my body. I returned, fully, into presence. It supported emotional regulation in a way that felt gentle rather than forced.
When I performed rituals alone, with clear self-intention, I was engaging internal trust and meaning-making processes. This anchored change more deeply than I expected. I began to notice subtle shifts in my relationships and a greater capacity to sustain focus long enough to put my thoughts on paper…
Psychology backs this up. Studies suggest that rituals create predictability, reducing stress and supporting emotional regulation, while also increasing connection and enjoyment during holiday seasons (Sezer et al., 2016). Health experts note that traditions offer stability during times of overwhelm (UNC Health, 2021), and culturally, rituals and festivals strengthen social cohesion, helping people feel held by something larger than themselves (Banda, 2024). Whether practiced privately or collectively, ritual creates moments of continuity and meaning that help anchor us during times of uncertainty.
For me, they did the same on a personal level.
They reminded me that I exist within a meaningful, self-created pattern inside the vast entropy of the universe.
Ritual didn’t fight the chaos of life. It gave me a rhythm within it, a cadence that made me feel at home in my own days again.
Closing Reflection 🌙
What surprised me most was not that ritual helped, but how gently it did so. Without demanding change or certainty, it offered a way to remain present, connected, and compassionate with myself, even on difficult days.
Where in your life do you feel most overwhelmed by entropy, and what small ritual could help you create a moment of meaningful order within it?
Love,
Bloom
References
- Sezer, O., Norton, M. I., Gino, F., & Vohs, K. D. (2016).
Family rituals and holiday enjoyment. Harvard Business School Working Paper No. 16-103. 🔗 PDF - UNC Health. (2021, December 15).
3 ways holiday traditions can improve mental health. UNC Health Talk.🔗 UNC Health - Banda, C. N. (2024).
Preserving cultural heritage: Community-based participatory research in the revival of traditional festivals. Heliyon, 10(3), Article e196209. 🔗 ScienceDirect PDF
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