7 Tiny Daily Rituals That Can Help You Feel More Joyful and Alive
The other day, I found myself in the kitchen, pouring coffee into my favorite mug from Buffalo, NY.

I have a whole hutch full of mismatched mugs from cities I’ve wandered through—each one a little souvenir from the version of me that existed in that place.

I love picking out a mug every morning and seeing the different ones:
Do I want St. Louis? Denver? Seattle?
Something from Ellis Island—or that one mug I grabbed on a spontaneous Florida weekend?

Every morning, I take a moment to choose.
It might sound small, but honestly… it truly brings me joy.

There was a time I couldn’t even feel that joy.
Not long ago, even brushing my teeth felt like a win.
I looked “put together,” but inside I felt numb—like I was quietly falling apart while still checking every box.

The idea of noticing a happy moment—let alone creating one—felt completely out of reach.
Like joy was reserved for a version of me I hadn’t met yet.

But standing there in my kitchen… something about that mug, that moment, that tiny ritual—it reminded me:

Joy doesn’t have to be dramatic.
Sometimes it’s in the smallest things.
Sometimes it has to be.

If you’ve been feeling off lately—like you’re just going through the motions—these 7 rituals are for you.
They’ve helped me (and many of the high-achieving women I work with) reconnect with the present moment, soften into the day, and feel just a little more like themselves again.

1. Make your morning mean something.
Use the mug. Light the candle.
Put on the perfume that makes you feel like her.
Turn your morning into a moment that grounds you.

2. Get some real light.
Open the blinds. Step into the sun.
Use your certified SAD lamp or red light panel.
Let your cells remember what aliveness feels like.

3. Give something away.
Acts of service are powerful co-regulators.
I always feel lighter after volunteering.
Recently, I dropped off books at a small local bookstore instead of a donation bin—because I knew it would support someone’s real business. That hit differently.

4. Share what you love.
Drop off your favorite book to a friend.
Make someone dinner just because.
Send a playlist with a simple message:
“This made me think of you.”

5. Open the window — even for five minutes.
Fresh air. Birdsong. The hum of life.
Let the outside world in. It wakes something up in you.

6. Start your day with creativity.
You don’t need to be a poet or an artist.
Journal. Doodle. Steep your tea with intention.
Even 5 minutes of creative energy can shift your entire day.

7. Say it out loud.
Try this simple nervous system cue:
“I want to feel joy again.”
Sometimes, naming what you want is the first signal to your body that says, we’re safe now—joy is allowed again.

You don’t need to wait for your next vacation, a life overhaul, or a total transformation.

Joy lives in the tiny moments.
And those moments are waiting for you to notice them.

With love,
Audrey Rose
Somatic Life Coach & Registered Nurse