Chai and Check-Ins: How Cultural Rituals Can Be Acts of Self-Care
Opening Reflection:
In a world where self-care is often commodified as spa days and expensive retreats, South Asian women are redefining what healing looks like — and sometimes, it starts with a cup of chai. Beneath the surface of daily rituals lie moments of peace, grounding, and deep emotional meaning. What we’ve been told is “just routine” can, in truth, be revolutionary.
The Everyday as Emotional Medicine
Cultural rituals — like making chai, lighting a diya, praying, oiling each other’s hair, or sitting quietly during a mehfil — are not just about tradition. They are small containers of mindfulness, connection, and rest. For many South Asian women raised in environments where rest was earned only through productivity, these rituals became subtle rebellions.
A warm mug of chai shared with a friend or sibling can become a check-in. A walk to the mandir or mosque can be a moment of grounding. Preparing food for others, while often gendered labor, can transform into intentional self-soothing when done with autonomy and love.
Why This Matters for Mental Health
South Asian women often carry immense emotional labor. They’re the caregivers, the therapists, the emotional anchors in their homes — but who holds space for them? Integrating culturally rooted rituals into self-care allows women to reclaim joy without guilt. It validates that healing doesn’t need to look Western to be real.
A 2023 South Asian Wellness Study found that 68% of respondents felt most mentally safe during cultural or religious rituals, even if they didn’t actively associate them with “self-care.” That means our grandmothers may have been doing healing work all along — they just never called it that.
Redefining Self-Care on Our Terms
Self-care isn’t always about stepping away from culture — sometimes, it’s about stepping into it differently. It’s about honoring the practices that made us feel loved as children, even if they weren’t always named as love. South Asian women are now using those same traditions to reclaim their mental well-being.
Whether it’s journaling while burning agarbatti, calling a cousin just to talk, or letting yourself rest during a Friday nap — these rituals can be sacred. They remind us we are worthy of softness.
Quote to Carry With You:
“Self-care isn’t selfish — it’s survival, especially when done in the language your soul understands.”
— South Asian Therapist & Community Advocate