Half Term Rituals
This image popped up on my timeline recently from a friend. It pretty much sums up my Half Term vibe. Relaxed Autumn days, wet underfoot and slippery with leaves. There may be afternoon coffee and cake, fresh air and exercise, a bit of half-hearted Christmas shopping and some store cupboard cooking going on too. I'm heading out to buy ingredients for the Christmas cake today and by the end of the month the pantry will be replenished with a stock of apple chutney, quince jelly and onion marmalade. Some of those goodies will make it into Christmas hampers for friends. A week of welldoing. Good for me, good for the local shops and good for my family.
Of course, now that I'm no longer in the classroom I don't need to complete all these tasks in Half Term, which curiously in these parts this years seems to be straddling two weeks. Old habits die hard. It got me thinking about the importance of ritual, family tradition and seasonality. There's a comfort in spending these few days in October doing familiar things. One of the most important features of rituals is that they do not only mark time; they create time. Time to connect, time to reflect, time to slow down and take control.
Anthropologists have long observed that people of all cultures tend to perform more rituals in times of stress and anxiety. Psychologists report that when subjected to stressful situations people’s behaviour tends towards the rigid and repetitive – in other words, more ritualised. Our brains are wired to make predictions about the world but when everything around us is changing, this ability to make predictions is limited. Cue higher levels of anxiety and the comfort of rituals, which are by their very nature repetitve, highly structured and predictable. When we feel that we have little or no direct influence over our physical world, performing these rituals provide a sense of order and control. I see it in bereaved clients a lot.
Friends and clients of mine have spoken this week about the seeming chaos of world events and how they have become absorbed in repetitive creative projects like sewing, woodworking, raking leaves or weeding; others have sought solace in the kitchen where chopping, kneading or stirring the pot provide a much-needed mindful calm. It's not just the outcome of having made something delicious, beautiful or useful; it's the repetitive process involved in the making that's healing.
In the past I have used our Half Term rituals as healing activities from the long hours and high workload that accompanies being a teacher. In addition they have been part of a whole collection of family rituals. Family rituals shaped my childhood and were so ingrained in me that I was determined to make them central to my own family. They have given my children a treasure chest of shared memories, connection to their ancestors, a sense of belonging, validation and identity which, I hope, has served as a firm foundation for a happy and fulfilled adulthood.
That's a lot of welldoing.
For students, teachers and school workers, I hope Half Term is a relaxing and healing time; for parents, I hope it brings moments of joy with your children and families; and for everyone I hope it brings you moments of connection, stillness and creativity.