The Power of Labels and Rituals

Happy Sacred Sunday,

Notice what I just did there?

I labeled Sunday as “Sacred.”

Do you know why I did that?

Because words are powerful. They penetrate your subconscious and affect how you show up in the world. Making Sundays “Sacred” reminds me to start Sunday mornings with rituals I consider sacred – exercise, journaling, reflection, and reading.

As my kids get ready to go back to school, I am thinking about the power of using labels and rituals to live life with more intentionality, focus, and meaning. 

Parents and grandparents: read below for a tradition to add to your family’s life! (If you’re in a rush, I’ll give you a hint. It’s #3 in this article 😉)

But before I get to that, I have to clear the air with labels because they get a bad rap. 

The Problem with Labeling

Many experts aren’t fans of labels because they can have negative consequences. For instance, if we label children as ADD or ADHD kids from a very young age or constantly call them problematic, lazy, or inattentive, they start to internalize those identities and carry them into adulthood.. Adults attach labels to themselves based on assessments and diagnoses..

That’s why great therapists and coaches caution us against assuming labels as truths that limit and condition us negatively.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t label things. It just means we have to be mindful and intentional of the vocabulary we use.

The Power of Labels and Rituals

Labels are powerful because they help our complicated brains simplify, categorize, and make sense of things. Naming something is a simple way to tell your subconscious to treat this thing in a specific way. It’s a brain activator, and when used in a supportive way, can be incredibly helpful. 

Rituals, like Greg McKeown stated beautifully in Effortless, are habits with a soul. A ritual is something you enjoy doing in it of itself. If you want to create a habit or you have a chore that needs to be part of your routine, creating a ritual around it makes it enjoyable and desirable. 

Here are 3 examples of labels and/or rituals I’ve adopted that make my life and relationships so much more meaningful.

1. HOPE MOLECULES

The other day a friend of mine shared a video explaining that when you contract your muscles, they secrete proteins into your bloodstream that make you resilient to stress and can protect you from depression. Scientists called these proteins “hope molecules.”

I already knew that exercise is good for anxiety and depression. I knew that moving my body shifts my energy and makes me feel better. But learning the term “hope molecules” has elevated exercise to another level in my mind.

The other day while I was at the gym, I was lifting heavy weight (well, heavy for me) and it was hurting. Rather than focus on the pain, my brain visualized the hope molecules traveling up my bloodstream into my brain. I could literally “see” this happening inside of me, making me healthier and happier. It changed everythin

2. MOMMY, MUSTIN, & MYAN TIME

Several years ago, I signed up for a parenting course called Positive Parenting Solutions. The course taught me the importance of spending uninterrupted quality, 1:1 time with each child for 10-20 minutes per day. Amy calls it mind, body, and soul time.

I took it a step further and labeled that time with each one of my kids. Orly called it mommy time. Justin chose Mustin time (Mommy + Justin = Mustin) and Ryan chose Myan time (Ryan + Mommy = Myan).

Those names stuck. To this day, we intentionally carve out Mommy, Mustin, or Myan time regularly.

Now, any time I am alone with one of my kids — whether I’m headed to a doctor’s appointment with Justin, taking Orly to school in the morning, or I’m grocery shopping with Ryan — we name the moment. That simple label turns what may have been a mundane experience into something meaningful.

3. SCHOOL YEAR’S EVE

(This might be my favorite tradition of all.)

Growing up, I didn’t consider January 1st the beginning of the year. New Year’s Eve was nothing more than a holiday celebrated during Christmas break. 

As a student, what defined a year was the first day of school. 

For kids, a new school year represents a new grade, new teachers, possibly a new school, new experiences and maybe even new friendships.

It’s a time filled with possibility and hope, but can also be laced with fear and insecurities. 

In 2019, I had a thought. What if we honored the anticipation of a new school year the same way we honor the New Year holiday?

 

This led me to name the night before school: School Year’s Eve. 

That night, at dinnertime, I surprised the kids with the Five Fingers’ School Year’s Eve Celebration (Five Fingers is what my husband labeled our family of 5 ☺️)

It wasn’t anything fancy, but we set the table with a tablecloth, special dinnerware, and some candles. I then grabbed a pen and paper and asked the boys to set their intentions for this new year. What did they want to focus on or work toward? What were they looking forward to or not looking forward to? What were they excited about, or maybe a little scared of? 

Our School Year’s Eve 10-second countdown started at 8:59:50 pm, and then I gave them 12 grapes each for good luck (a Cuban tradition), followed by a toast with Sparkling Cider. 

The next day, my boys woke up excited and ready to tackle their new year. 

We’ve continued the tradition year after year.

 

Since then, each year I keep the paper with the previous year’s intentions. 

On School Year’s Eve, the boys review their intentions from the previous year (s). It’s a time to success file, discuss lessons learned, and reflect on their growth.

* I should note that we do not impose any expectations on their intentions. Meaning, we don’t make them set a goal to have straight A’s or anything like that. Their intentions are their intentions. We want them to be self-driven children.

It’s cool to see how the things that seemed like such a big deal one year may seem silly now. (Even for us adults).

This practice has become one of our most exciting celebrations of the year, and it’s such a simple thing to do. 

Living with Intention

Labeling Sundays as Sacred helps me be intentional about having a day dedicated to rest, relaxation, and preparation for the upcoming week. 

Labeling my time with my kids reminds me to be extra present when I’m alone with them. Listen to them. Put my phone away. Give extra hugs and kisses. Sneak in a special something when possible.

Words like hope molecules remind me that exercise isn’t only about weight or physique, but about mental and emotional wellness. 

School Year’s Eve helps my children go back to school with intention and focus on what matters most to them — so that they can define their own success and be proactive in their own lives. 

May you create your own labels and rituals to:

✨ To add more intentionality to your days
✨ Foster connection with people, places, and things, and
✨ Create the space for those sparks of bliss that make life magical. 

And, of course, feel free to borrow mine!