How is your 2023 coming along so far? The Lunar New Year has officially passed, so there aren’t any more excuses to ignore the set of new year’s resolutions you have come up with. As for me, I have been sticking to a one-hour home workout and stretch routine to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. I’ve been a stickler to this routine for two months now, even on days I work overtime or grab a drink with a friend. As it turns out, strong mental health comes hand in hand with strong physical health. Not only is my body feeling lighter, but I’m also feeling less stressed and worn out.

I was debating what I should write about for this column, then I thought about the people around me who are sticklers to their rituals. So, here is a series of short interviews on what they are practicing, how they started their rituals, and what these rituals mean to each of them.

“Ever since I started recording, I began appreciating my life for being complete enough as it is.”

- L’s transcription ritual

About my ritual | I wake up every morning at five thirty, read a chapter from a book or watch a clip, and transcribe a sentence that I found meaningful or could relate to. I then write a short post on my blog. It’s been exactly a month since I started doing this.

How I started | There was this one sentence from the book “Work Play Play Work” that struck me in particular. “Let’s imagine there are two people who lived more or less the same lives. The life that is remembered is the life that is recorded. The one that isn’t recorded is, well, forgotten.” And I thought it would be unfair on my life’s part to be forgotten. So, I decided to record the behind-the-scenes of it.

What it means | Ever since I started recording, I began appreciating my life for being complete enough as it is. Spending more time for myself, constantly being inspired by what other people have said or written, changing myself, watching myself change… all of these things have made my life fuller. More than anything, seeing myself waking up early every morning to write a journal tells me that ‘I have the power to change myself.’

“I’ve been keeping a journal for 10 years as a way to remember my day.”

- J1’s journal keeping ritual

About my ritual | I’ve been keeping a journal for over 10 years now. To be honest, I don’t write something every day. I also have a checklist of daily habits, which includes drinking water, cleaning, and reading one inspiring quote every day.

How I started | I started keeping a journal in high school as a way of keeping track of my study plan. It has become a habit since. Right now, it’s a way for me to record my daily life, so that I live and remember each day more consciously, however identical they may be.

What it means | Reading my past journal entries reminds me of the emotions I felt then. It’s a good way to reminisce and appreciate how far I’ve come. It also gives me the motivation to go on.

“I write morning journals to add a sense of anticipation to my day-to-day life.”

- J2’s journal keeping ritual

About my ritual | I’ve been keeping a morning journal every day for 7 months now. I wanted my journal entries to be different from the usual ‘I did blah blah and blah blah. The end.’ I wanted them to incorporate plans and anticipation.

How I started | One day, I realized I was waking up every day, getting ready just to go to work, more or less like a robot. It was as if the purpose of my entire existence was so that I could work. So, I decided to take a more active role in planning out my day-to-day life. I wanted a sense of anticipation before starting the day.

What it means | I’m the type that gives meaning to everything. This ritual is also a way for me to ‘give meaning to life.’ I write down things I look forward to in a day. It’s actually quite fun coming home after work and reading about what worried or stressed me in the morning after it has all been taken care of.

“Just bringing my journal to places that stress me out calms me down.”

- S’s journal keeping ritual

About my ritual | I’ve been keeping a journal since high school. I usually write something every night or whenever I have time (usually when I’m bored or overly anxious). It has been almost 10 years. I also like transcribing sentences from books or jotting down notes.

How I started | This ritual started when I first began keeping a diary of my minute-by-minute study plan in high school. I would use it to check how I spent the day and write down my feelings. Since then, it has become a habit.

What it means | For me, keeping a journal gives me the opportunity to be completely honest with myself. I have the freedom to say whatever I want because there is no one to judge me. Sometimes, writing down my thoughts helps me realize the feelings I didn’t even know I had. I bring my journal to places or occasions that stress me out, like a job interview, because just having it with me calms me down.

“Running is a comforting way to relieve stress.”

- K’s running ritual

About my ritual | I’ve been running three or more times every week for three years now.

How I started | I suffered from a serious case of insomnia. I had been aware of it since I was twenty, but I didn’t think much of it, believing it was because I was more sensitive than others. Then it came to a point where the lack of sleep and the stress from work became unbearable. So, I began trying different remedies, one of which was ‘running.’

What it means | For me, running is a way to relieve stress. In the past, all I could do in times of stress was to endure it and wait for the time to pass. Now, on the other hand, I tell myself ‘let’s run and forget about it!’ The fact that I have discovered this solution is comforting. Plus, running does actually help clear my head. After running, I often find myself thinking, ‘there’s no need to take this seriously. This too shall pass.’

“Running has led me on a journey of self-discovery and challenges me constantly.”

- L’s running ritual

About my ritual | I’ve been running at least twice a week for almost six years now. Even when I was pregnant, I ran as soon as I entered the second trimester. When I’m preparing for a full marathon, I usually run at least three times a week and at least 15km on weekends.

How I started | Initially, when I first started working out, all I would do was run on the treadmill at the gym. I was afraid of running outside at first. I tried to overcome the fear, and when I was able to run for 30 minutes without taking a break, I joined a Naver community for runners. Naturally, running became my hobby.

What it means | Running really helps me maintain good mental health, in addition to building my endurance. It’s called ‘dynamic meditation’ for a reason; it helps relieve a lot of stress. Practicing for a full marathon has led me on a journey of self-discovery, and I really enjoy constantly challenging myself and reaching the milestones I’ve set.

We constantly run into small and large obstacles throughout our lives. Some of them are little bumps on the road, whereas others make us fall quite hard. What gets us up on our feet is our ‘willpower.’ What the six ritualists have built are not just habits; consistently repeating certain actions leads to accumulated confidence and a sense of achievement, which become the pillars of our strength during tough times.

There is a famous saying that goes ‘indomitable will power is what’s important.’ Put differently, it means that we face events that undermine our will power on a daily basis. To all of you having a tough day, I recommend finding a ritual of your own. It will help you build your own strong will power. It can be anything, it can be trivial, anything to help you hold on.

To another day of indomitable will power.
Thank you for reading the Ritual Column series