Benefits of Ritual

first appeared on AbbyPhon.com blog:

I am a mother, physician and now author. This last descriptor was not always part of the plan! I graduated medical school over twenty years ago, had three children and thought that I knew my plan, knew what was in store for me, both personally and professionally.

Photo credit: Hanh Nguyen

Turns out, I didn’t know everything.

While living in Cleveland, Ohio and practicing medicine, we had our third child. I continued as I had always done, going to work and preparing family meals and volunteering in the kids’ schools. The idea of taking some time for myself didn’t even occur to me. I just kept on. Turns out this doctor did not know best! In keeping up with my usual habits, I was unintentionally adding to my stress.

And then I discovered making challah on Fridays.

I had never made bread before, and therefore didn’t appreciate how wonderful it is to get your hands sticky in a bowl of dough. It’s therapeutic, in fact. There is research that supports engaging in the tactile arts (think: pottery or knitting for example) to improve our moods, so it makes sense that I would feel better making homemade bread.

Now many years later, I’ve come to appreciate that we all need rituals in our lives to anchor us, to help us feel more present and grounded. I’ve continued to make bread each Friday, in part for this reason.