There is this fear we humans have of negativity. Whether it’s negativity when it comes to emotions, life experiences, or anything else you can think of, we get anxious. But what if I told you it’s all just part of life’s rhythm? It’s this way on purpose, and the law of rhythm supports this idea perfectly. 

In this short article I just want to explain what the law of rhythm is, give some examples, and show how you can start embracing the law of rhythm. My goal is to help you feel more at ease with the ups and downs of life. So please take your time, read carefully, and learn something new. 

What Is The Law Of Rhythm?

The law of rhythm is a principle that states that every single thing that exists moves in patterns and cycles. This is an ancient Hermetic Law that is outlined in the Kybalion describing how all aspects of life, from relationships to nature, flow in rhythmic patterns of rising and falling, expanding or contracting. Nothing stays static; every area of life has periods of stagnation and activity. 

What Are Some Life Cycles

Nature Cycles

We have been learning about these cycles since we were in elementary school; nature cycles are the cycles we are most familiar with.

Water Cycles: 

Evaporation → Condensation → Precipitation → Runoff and Infiltration → Collection

Nitrogen Cycles: 

Nitrogen Fixation → Nitrification → Denitrification → Decay → Putrefaction

Carbon Cycles: 

Photosynthesis → Respiration → Decomposition → Combustion → Ocean Absorption

Emotional Cycles

There are periods where we feel on top of the world, and then other times we feel like we just never want to talk to anyone again and just stay in our bubbles. Nothing is wrong with that; it’s just another cycle. 

Motivation Cycles: 

Highly Motivated → Burnout → Rest → Newfound Motivation

Mood Cycles:

Energetic and Busy Phases → Quieter and Calm Phases

Social Cycles:

Social Butterfly Phases → Antisocial Phases

Personal Growth Cycles

In order to learn something new or fix something you don’t like within yourself, it’s important to first recognize what you want to learn or fix, then go from there. You repeat this rhythm over and over again. 

Learning Phases:

Confusion → Understanding → Mastery → Next Level

Healing Cycles:

Problem Recognition → Progress → Setback → Progress → Breakthrough

Money & Work Cycles

This is a cycle people get anxious about, and it’s completely understandable, but just remember it’s all a part of the Law of Rhythm.

Business Cycles:

Startup → Growth → Stability → Slowdown → Rise Again

Income Cycles:

Slower Earning Periods → Higher Earning Periods

Productivity Phases:

Super Focused Periods → More Distracted Periods

Relationship Cycles

From the first stage of infatuation to long-lasting stability, relationships of all kinds have to break and transform. This rhythm of relationships helps us see parts of ourselves we have been hiding or avoiding 

Relationship Cycles

Deep Connection → Sovereignty → Deep Connection Again

Passion Cycles:

Infatuation → Conflict → Stability 

Body Cycles

• Menstruation Cycles
• Aging
• Hormone cycles
• Sleep cycles

Society & Culture Cycles

Economic Cycles: 

Boom → Recession → Recovery → Stability

Trend Cycles:

Popularity → Peak → Fade → Return

What Happens When We Resist Natural Cycles

When we fight against cycles, we stress ourselves out. In fact, I believe that most of our stress is self-curated, but that’s a whole other topic. When we fight against cycles, we have a desire for control, predictability, and attachment to permanence, which all conflict with the law of rhythm. 

When we are confronted with change, our amygdala activates and triggers a stress response also known as the ‘fight or flight’ response. This response is not all bad, as it is a survival mechanism that protects us from perceived threats. But we don’t want our cortisol levels to be unnecessarily spiked, and embracing the law of rhythm is a great way to avoid unneeded stress. When we approach life with the expectation that things change, we just relax and enjoy the present moment more. Compare that with overthinking about the changes to come and creating stress out of thin air. Which would you rather have?

How To Work With The Law of Rhythm

Here are simple ways to start working with the law of rhythm instead of against it. 

Track Your Moods And Cycles

Tracking your moods and cycles is essential for working the law of rhythm. Imagine knowing yourself so well you know what triggers certain moods and what times of the month or year affect your mood. When you keep score of your moods and states of mind, you become more self-aware and conscious of patterns that often happen subconsciously. Recognizing patterns lets you anticipate and expect what is to come, which as a result decreases resistance to your personalized rhythm of life. 

How To:

1. Choose what you want track your patterns with
2. Track how you feel each day, along with what you did to make you feel that way
3. Set a time each day to record how you feel, preferably at the end of each day
4. Rate your moods out of 1-10 
5. If your moods tend to fluctuate wildly throughout the day, track your states of mind throughout the day
6. Include recordings about your environment around times of mood changes
7. Track both negative and positive moods; don’t be biased
8. Review your data regularly; this is how you become familiar with your unique rhythm

Build Routines For Specific Seasons 

Curating routines for specific seasons of your life reduces friction when change occurs. Let’s say you’re coming out of a super disciplined season of life into one where you feel tired and maybe a bit burnt out; trying to keep the same schedule from your super disciplined rhythm will not work. Instead, try doing work that doesn’t require much cognitive load, like planning out your next steps, just until your discipline comes back up. Always forcing discipline when intuitively you feel like you’ve had enough is the fast track to feeling depressed and burnt out. Don’t do that to yourself. 

How To: 

1. Track your moods and cycles
2. Pay special attention to season where you feel like you can’t get as much work done
3. Look at the type of things you do and see how they could fit in with different seasons of your life
4. Pair low-effort tasks and activities with season where you have lower energy and high-effort tasks with seasons where you have higher energy
5. Write your routines down 
6. Edit them through trial and error, keep what works and change what doesn’t

Use Momentum As Much As Possible When It Arises

This ties in with our last point, but we do have different seasons of productivity. Being productive is very important. We all have work or school; we need to eat, and productivity pays. Use the periods where psychological force enables you to work way past your normal capacity. When you have momentum, success cultivates more success, which ties in perfectly with the law of rhythms principle of working with natural waves of energy. With momentum, tasks that normally feel hard start to feel easier. This aligns with flowing with your rhythm instead of going against it. 

How To: 

1. Notice when momentum arises
2. Postpone nonessential commitments and use your momentum for essential tasks
3. Batch your most important projects and tackle them at this time
4. Don’t be a perfectionist
5. Push past the discomfort that comes from trying to focus and not get distracted
6. Don’t stop at the first sign of fatigue

During Slower Seasons Be Intentional With Your Resting Time

I remember reading a book on productivity that basically focused on how downtime actually makes us more productive altogether. Downtime is not a waste of time; it is a necessity, so stop feeling guilty during your opportunities of rest. During slower seasons intentional rest gives the body a chance to renew itself from depletion. You are rebuilding resources that were spent during active periods. This aligns with the law of rhythms principle that periods of activity should be balanced with periods of rest. 

How To: 

1. Set aside time each day to create a sense of familiarity with rest
2. During this time find a space somewhere  you feel calm and relaxed
3. Choose a position you feel comfortable in so you won’t be distracted by pain or discomfort.
4. Engage in mindful activities like walking, meditating, deep breathing, or yoga
5. ALWAYS block out time for this rest period. It’s nonnegotiable.

Let Emotions Rise and Fall Without Interrupting The Cycle

Our emotions definitely follow the law of rhythm. We have days where we feel down and like the whole world is against us, and we have other days where we feel like the world is on our side and everything will work out perfectly. We all have this tendency to go against our feelings, but that just creates more stress and tension. The key is to remember that every state of being will pass by, good or bad. When you practice nonresistance, you notice your overall mood is not tied to  the up and down of your emotions. 

How To: 

1. Recognize when emotional waves begin
2. Accept it; don’t try to suppress or change the emotions
3. Observe when the emotion is at its peak.
4. Go to the attachment where you can observe 
5. Trust the natural descent of your emotions
6. Write your emotional waves down each day

Do Grounding Exercises to Ease The Anxiety Between Seasons

Sometimes we go from feeling extremely positive to feeling like nothing will work out. This type of emotional shift often causes distress and anxiety. When we are anxious, the fight-or-flight mode gets activated. Grounding techniques help you get out of fight-or-flight mode, and they make you feel calm and relaxed. Grounding techniques also help you redirect your mind to focus on more non-threatening thoughts. We talked about this a little earlier, but the more you focus on a thought, the more overwhelming it becomes. I hope you can now see how beneficial grounding exercises are. There are many grounding exercises, but I am going to show you how to do the 5-4-3-2-1 sensory grounding technique.

How To: 

1. Sit a position you feel comfortable in 
2. Take 3 deeps breaths; Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4
3. Look for 5 things you can see
4. Then look for 4 things you can touch
5. Identify 3 things you can hear
6. Look for 2 things you can smell
7. And lastly, identify one thing you can taste. 

Benefits Of Working With The Law Of Rhythm

The law of rhythm is a law that helps you understand why we go through the phases we do. For me it helped me detach from the negative emotions I sometimes feel. I used to dread negative emotions and try to force constant optimism, but it just left me feeling tired. Now I know that the wave of emotions, life, and anything that has cycles will come and go. So to encourage you to keep working with the law of rhythm and not against it, here are some benefits of working with the law of rhythm.

• You start to accept change
• A more heightened awareness of emotions is developed
• Understanding that any part of a cycle is a profound learning experience
• You start to reflect on your thoughts, which leads to better decision-making.
• Less resistance to emotions that used to intimidate you
• Alignment with natural rhythms improves mental clarity
• Better emotional regulation and resilience
• Embracing cycles improve creativity and innovation
• You get the ability to navigate life with grace and ease, leading to a more fulfilling and balanced life.

You don’t always need to only have good things in life. What’s life without a little disappointment or negativity anyway? Where would you be if everyone believed in you and there was no one you could prove wrong? Life would be mundane. When I first heard of this law, I’ll admit, I got a bit disappointed that life had to have its ups and downs. But soon I realized that this roller coaster we call life is actually beautiful. After reading my article, I hope you feel more confident in your ability to handle whatever gets thrown at you. 

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