What Are You Rooted In? Building a Wellness Routine that can Support the Life You Want
by Jennifer Streaks
There is a version of wellness that can start to feel like another responsibility.
Another routine to perfect. Another habit to maintain. Another reminder that we should be sleeping better, moving more, drinking more water, meditating longer, or somehow becoming a more optimized version of ourselves.
But as life becomes busier, especially toward the end of the year, perhaps the better question isn't: What else should I be doing?
It's: What do I need to feel supported?
That question changes the way we think about wellness.
Wellness isn't necessarily about adding more to our days. Sometimes, it's about creating a foundation that helps us move through the days we already have with a little more steadiness.
Research suggests that our everyday rhythms matter. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis examining 53 studies and more than 910,000 people across 32 countries found that disruptions to daily routines were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and psychological distress. The researchers looked at routines including sleep, physical activity, eating, social activities, leisure, and work.
But consistency doesn't have to mean rigidity.
Maybe your foundation begins at home.
A bedroom that feels restful rather than unfinished. A walk before the day gets away from you. A cup of tea before bed. A Sunday ritual that gives you space to look at the week ahead without immediately feeling overwhelmed.
These things may seem small.
But small doesn't mean insignificant.
Build rituals that belong to your life.
The wellness routine that supports you may not look like anyone else's.
Maybe you need movement in the morning. Maybe you need quiet.
Maybe planning your week gives you peace. Maybe too much planning makes you feel overwhelmed.
The goal isn't to create a perfect routine.
It's to create one that actually supports your life.
The National Library of Medicine published a systematic review of 103 studies that found associations between sleep, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and mental health across children, adolescents, and adults. There is increasing evidence that daily movement behaviours are associated with mental health.
In other words, once again, our everyday rhythms matter — but they don't need to become another source of pressure.
Let your routine change with you.
What supports you in one season may not support you in another.
Our responsibilities change. Our energy changes. Our priorities change.
That isn't inconsistency.
It's being human.
Being rooted doesn't mean never moving. It means having a foundation strong enough to grow from.
So as you think about the season ahead, ask yourself: What am I rooted in?
Rest? Connection? Peace? Movement? Creativity? Community? A home that feels like yours?
Choose a few things that genuinely support the life you're building — and give yourself permission to return to them.
Wellness isn't about creating a perfect life.
It's about creating rhythms that help support the life you're already building. And sometimes, that is where the strongest roots stand.
Jennifer Streaks is a business and personal finance journalist and founder of Thrive Living Home, a wellness and lifestyle brand centered on rest, rituals and intentional living. Her reporting has been featured in Business Insider, CNBC, and Forbes and her work explores how the way we spend, live and experience our homes can influence how we feel—and how small, meaningful changes can help us create lives that feel more aligned.