9 Healing Rituals To Nurture The Relationship You Have With Yourself

You’ve tried them all—journaling, meditating, yoga, improving your diet or workout routine—but still find yourself seeking something more. Maybe it’s just me, but I get easily bored with routines and constantly crave newness in my life. These self-love rituals can help to not only heal your soul but cultivate a closer, more intimate relationship with the most important person in your life: yourself.

1. Clearing Old Energy

Minimalism is one of my favorite concepts. In the words of its founding fathers Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, “Love people and use things, because the opposite never works.” This is your sign to go full Marie Kondo with your space and make room for the new. Just like we clean out our fridge or take out the trash when you declutter your life, you make room for all those beautiful manifestations to flow in.

2. Cord Cutting

Our subconscious mind loves to hold on and replay the past. A simple act, like cutting a cord, can help us let go and move on from our past hurts or attachments that no longer serve us. This is a simple yet extremely powerful practice to use with your relationships. If you find your energy depleted or your mind obsessing over a person in an unhealthy way, cord-cutting may be your answer. It often helps to write the words you would like to say or a releasing mantra along with cutting a physical cord so your subconscious can visually internalize the process. This declaration could look like this: I now release all energetic cords that no longer serve me. I release you with love and reclaim my energy. I am establishing a peaceful energetic boundary that is for our highest good.

3. Darkness Therapy

This method quite literally amps up the contrast in your life and can help you realize some deep-seated truths from the corners of your psyche. To experience the wonder for life, you need contrast to see beyond the well-worn grooves of the connections in your brain. (Huge thank you to Aubrey Marcus for hyping up darkness therapy.) There are many forms for how to go about your experience with the dark. Whether it’s beginning to get quiet and meditate in the dark, trying a sensory deprivation float tank, or going all-out on an actual darkness retreat, these methods will almost always lead you to a more intimate connection with your authentic self. Not only can you see spiritual and psychological benefits to darkness therapy, but research suggests that physically it can minimize headaches, fatigue and insomnia, stabilize circadian rhythms, and improve our immune system.

4. Facing A Fear

Time to channel your inner warrior. Facing fears is one of the best ways to learn how to trust yourself. It can be chasing a dream you’ve been too scared to go for ,like booking that flight and traveling solo or telling someone your true feelings (let’s be real, we’re all a little scared of vulnerability). Humans form deeper bonds with people who have been with them through challenges and struggles, the times when life gets real. By facing fear and making it out to the other side, you go through a significant experience with the best sidekick you could ask for: yourself. If you aren’t quite there yet, try unpacking your fears and getting to the heart of the issue through journaling.

5. Cleansing Baths

The main difference between a spiritual cleansing bath and a regular one is the setting. Having a clean and cleansed space can help you relax not only physically but mentally. For spiritual baths, you can choose to add salt, flowers, fruit, or herbs. Candles and binaural beats also can enhance your experience. It is really up to you as long as you have a clear intention behind your practice. I like to envision clearing any negative thoughts and energy that does not serve me, especially when I can see the water draining from the bath; I envision it clearing all of these energies from my aura.

6. Tai Chi

This has been an absolute game-changer for me. I love and appreciate yoga and meditation so much, but at times I can have a craving for something new. Tai Chi is an ancient practice that is like moving meditation. If you have any background in dance or martial arts, this could be your new love. The slow movements offer a great opportunity to focus your attention on the present moment while incorporating body movement to quiet your mind. I highly recommend this practice for overthinkers.

7. Write Love Letters To Yourself

Writing a love letter to yourself can be deeply transformative. When writing it at first, you may feel silly writing to yourself. When you go back and reread your letter after weeks, months, or years later, you will have a new appreciation for the small act of self-love that can potentially have a tremendous impact on your relationship with yourself. Sometimes, the encouraging words we most need to hear are the ones that come from within.

8. Talk To Your Younger Self

You can use this as a meditative or written practice, but having a conversation with the younger version of yourself can be a very healing experience. Imagine your 8-year-old self is sitting at the foot of your childhood bed. Envision your current self kneeling down in front of them. What would you want them to know? The more you can relax and visualize this scenario, the easier it will be for a conversation to follow either in your mind or on paper. Connecting to the past and future versions of ourselves can have amazing effects on the current timelines of our lives.

9. Start Creating Your Masterpiece

Your life is a canvas and you are the artist. The best time to start creating the masterpiece of your life is now. Vision or dream boards are becoming a popular concept to manifest all of your hopes, goals, and aspirations. If you do not have all the collage supplies, try using Pinterest and Canva to create a collage for your phone background. The constant visual of your dreams or vision for your life when you check your phone can have profound impacts on your subconscious and your life trajectory overall. So connect with your inner Bob Ross and pick up the paintbrush of your life to bring those dreams into reality.