Why We Hold On to Little Rituals

General
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Every student seems to have that one thing they swear by during exam season. Mine wasn’t a perfectly planned study schedule or colour coded notes. It was a packet of Shin Ramen and one particular chair in the library. Third row, second seat from the window. The legs were slightly wobbly, which was probably why nobody else wanted it.

It all started by accident in my second year of dental college. The night before a Pathology exam, I made myself a bowl of Shin Ramen at 1 a.m., sat back down with my books, and the topic I’d been stuck on for almost an hour suddenly clicked. From then on, my brain made a connection that probably had no logic behind it. No Shin Ramen, no clarity. By the following year, it had become a proper routine. Same library seat. Same ramen. The only thing that changed was the spice level, depending on how nervous I was. My roommate didn’t even have to ask if I had an exam the next day. If she saw a packet of Shin Ramen on the table, she already knew.

Looking back, I know the noodles weren’t helping my memory, and that chair definitely wasn’t magical. But I don’t think that was ever the point. During stressful times, there are so many things you can’t control. Whether you’ll remember everything you’ve studied, how an exam or viva will go, how an interview will turn out, or how life will unfold despite all your preparation. Having one small routine that never changed made everything else feel a little less overwhelming. It gave me a sense of control, even if it was only in my head. Maybe that’s why we hold on to these little rituals. They’re not really about luck. They’re about familiarity. About telling yourself, “I’ve been here before. I’ve made it through before. I can do it again.”

Even now, I can’t see a packet of Shin Ramen without thinking about those quiet library nights and the nervous feeling before an exam. I still don’t believe the ramen or the chair made any real difference. But the routine did. Sometimes, when everything around you feels uncertain, it’s the familiar little things that help you take a deep breath, keep going, and trust that you’ll find your way through.

What’s one small thing that helps you stay grounded when everything else feels out of your control?

MBH/PS

2 Likes
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A beautiful reminder that it’s often the smallest habits, not because they’re magical but because they’re familiar that help us stay calm and keep moving forward. For me, it was always a quiet corner, a cup of tea and the same playlist before every exam. Funny how our minds find comfort in familiar rituals.

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I stay grounded by my sleep schedule. Sleep is something I don’t compromise on.

So whenever I sacrifice sleep, I know that I am stressed

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This reminded me that our minds often find comfort in the smallest routines… It is fascinating how seemingly ordinary habits become emotional anchors.

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Those small habits may help a student to go the exam fear in a little easier way. That’s true such habits don’t have to do anything with memory or concentration, it is just our emotional support may be! During my exams I was used to sit with my notes, outside the library, on a peaceful place near the garden with my bottle of juice.

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During my exams, I used to write as many topics as I could, on a single page, in smaller handwriting and small points to reduce the number of pages that I had to read. That helped me to reduce stress and a cup of tea helped me during late-night studies.