LETTER OF THE MONTH

After reading Janet Stone’s article, ‘Ritual Behaviours’ (July), I found myself comparing rituals with obsessive behaviours. And I’m sure I’m not the only one to recognise both traits in some people I’m familiar with. As mentioned in the article, rituals have proven to be of benefit when coping with anxiety and stress, and aid in the process of regaining control, especially in challenging times. So, it would be unwise to dismiss what seems to be a simple solution we can all access.

I’m reminded of an elderly lady who only drank tea brewed from leaves in a warmed teapot left to brew for a precise amount of time, before turning the pot three times to the left, then four times to the right, before pouring. And there was the lady who loved entering competitions, posting them at a certain postbox, at a certain time of day, and always walked around the post box three times for good luck!

Whether the tea from the turned pot was a superior brew, or whether the ‘post box’ lady had better luck, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that these simple rituals, whether obsessive or not, had become important and symbolic to them. So, now I’m off to make a pot of tea – not sure about turning the pot, though.