Finding routine and structure in uncertain times
How many times have you woken up and wished that you didn’t have to go to work? Well, that time has come but maybe its not all that it was cracked up to be. Some of us might be feeling a bit cheated right about now, somehow in our vision of not going to work, we didn’t see ourselves working from the kitchen table while wrangling the chaos of kids at the same time and being told that we mostly shouldn’t be leaving the house.
One of that things that can really help when we’re faced with uncertainty is developing a daily routine. It helps us to cope better by giving us an anchor or a feeling of control in a situation that feels so out of control and can help reduce overall stress.
While its totally normal to feel anxious, stressed and scared right now, creating a routine that works for you may help to alleviate these.
Consider these following points:
- Get up and get dressed. Yes, you could work in your PJs and no one will know but the routine of setting yourself up for the day will have you in a better headspace. You don’t have to be in your full corporate wear but at least put on something clean-ish.
- If you used to walk to work or the bus stop, go for a short work before you sit down at your desk to give yourself a clear signal of when your workday starts
- Take breaks for your meals and go outside. Get some vitamin D before we head into the depths of winter
- Remember you are what you eat – it affects your overall health including your immune system and mood so choose your foods wisely. If you’re still thinking about food as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ relax that up a little, don’t be so hard on yourself and focus on making the majority of your food choices to promote your health (more on that here)
- Schedule in regular movement and exercise sessions
- Go to sleep at your usual time to keep your sleep-wake cycles in check. Remember that sleep from 10pm to 2am is important for physical repair and sleep from 2am to 6am is important for psychological repair
- Include some downtime and time for fun stuff too
Above all ensure your routine works for you and doesn’t add in extra stress to your life – the idea is to use it to create a feeling of control and reduce the stress of uncertainty.
