Six Rituals and Daily Practices To Help You Survive 2026 |
I was a daily rituals skeptic for a long time—probably because I couldn’t find one that worked for me. But during the summer of 2025, I needed help to center myself. Congressional Republicans were voting to defund public media, where I had worked for the last ten years, and my position at PBS was under threat. I was angry and scared.
Over the years, friends, and mentors had suggested meditation. As someone who had yet-undiagnosed ADHD and chronic pain, sitting still for an hour seemed an impossible task at the time. (And it still does!) So I started small, with bite-sized guided meditation and then “hacked it,” as the kids say, to work for me.
At first, I chose a quick, guided meditation video on YouTube after I woke up, listening and breathing deeply for just five minutes. Guided meditation helped me refocus if my brain got distracted by, say, sorting through my never-ending to-do list.
I regret to inform you that after doing this a few times across two weeks, I could tell the difference. Now, on the days I meditate—I’m up to 10 minutes a day, plus some stretching—I feel my nervous system noticeably calm. With my body relaxed, I can more thoughtfully tend to my pain.
Research backs up this perception.
Studies have shown that people who meditate can better focus on the present and are less likely to ruminate anxiously on negative experiences and thoughts. Because anxiety triggers the production of stress hormones, it makes it difficult to feel settled, keeping the body and mind in a dysregulated state. For people with ADHD and chronic illness, mindfulness meditation can improve emotional regulation, attention, and executive function.
RNG reporting and analysis indicates the U.S. will see big, anxiety-producing changes to reproductive health care and civil........