Do you follow a ritual? Many people do. A ritual is a series of activities performed at the same time of day, every day. People often find their rituals to be a source of comfort. Some people have both a morning ritual and an evening ritual.

A morning ritual might include reading verses in the Holy Bible, going running on a familiar route while listening to music such as "Under Pressure" by Queen or "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, reading the newspaper while drinking a cup of hot coffee, getting children ready for school and on the school bus, and then finally leaving for work. On the way to work, they might listen to the music of Celine Dion or Billy Joel, notice the sunrise and the bumper-to-bumper, stop-and-go rush-hour traffic, and plan their day. If they ride a bus or take the subway to work, their transportation arrives at the same spot at roughly the same time as it did the day before. It stops. They get on, find a seat next to a passenger who is reading the newspaper, and enjoy the ride to work.

At work, the employee has a busy day ahead. There are reports to type, faxes to send, and meetings to attend. What a day it will be! After such a busy day, employees come home tired. They want to relax and unwind from their day.

Shortly after coming home from work, many people settle into their evening ritual. They change out of their work clothes and into more comfortable clothing, such as a sweat suit. To relieve the stress of their day, they may lift weights or go running. After their workout, they spend time with their family. They might go watch their child's soccer game. Then, after the game, they will come home to have dinner. They might have pizza, lasagna, spaghetti, or meatloaf, along with a salad. After dinner, they might settle into a television show or participate in activities with the family, such as board games. Then, at last, they begin their bedtime ritual. They may take a bubble bath. They may savor a cup of hot cocoa. Next, they may read a chapter in a novel that they are currently reading. Finally, they will set their alarm to avoid oversleeping and missing work the next morning, lie down, cover their eyes with an eye mask, and finally fall into a deep restful sleep.