Purpose
To ease the burden of everyday care tasks by doing them together, and to remind us that care is not only an individual responsibility but also a relationship that can be shared.
What need does it address?
- Making it easier to start care-related tasks during periods of depression, burnout, ADHD, or overwhelm
- Reducing the sense of isolation often associated with household responsibilities
- Sharing the burden of care work
- Strengthening relationships of solidarity in everyday life
- Demonstrating that care can be practiced collectively not only during crises, but also in daily life
How can it be practiced?
1. Set a care day.
Choose a few hours to dedicate to care tasks with a friend, neighbor, or family member.
This can become a regular practice, whether weekly or monthly.
2. Let everyone identify their own care needs.
Tasks that can be done together might include:
- Cleaning the house
- Folding laundry
- Organizing closets or storage spaces
- Watering plants
- Preparing meals for the week
- Sorting bills and paperwork
- Grocery shopping together
- Completing small postponed repairs
The goal is for each person to work on their own care tasks while supporting one another when needed.
3. Work alongside one another.
You might work together on the same tasks in the same home, or simply share a space while each person focuses on their own responsibilities.
Sometimes the presence of another person alone can make it easier to begin.
4. Take small breaks.
Having tea together, sharing a meal, or enjoying a short conversation are all part of the care process.
The priority is not productivity, but the experience of being together.
5. Finish the day together.
At the end of the day, you can celebrate what was completed, thank one another, and make plans for the next care day.
This ritual is inspired by practices such as body doubling (doing a task alongside someone rather than alone), cleaning parties, and collective household work days. However, it is not limited to cleaning and can be adapted to many forms of everyday care.
Things to consider
- The goal is not to create a perfect home, but to share the burden of care.
- No one is responsible for taking over another person’s care work.
- Everyone should respect their own limits and energy levels.
- Unfinished tasks should not become a source of guilt.
- Time spent together is also a form of care.
The Ihtimam Perspective
Ihtimam Rituals offer practical ways to strengthen care relationships in everyday life. However, lasting solutions to the invisibilization of care require changes not only in daily practices, but also in organizations, policies, and systems.
For more structural approaches, explore the Care Policy Recommendations Tool:
Shared by
This ritual was shared by one of İhtimam’s Co-Nurturers.
Ihtimam Rituals is a living collection of care practices developed by individuals, communities, and organizations in their everyday lives. You can contribute to this collective archive by sharing a ritual that strengthens care relationships in your own daily life.