I do not know about you, but I have forgotten what day it was a couple of times last week. Being quarantined at home can make the days start to blend in together. I have found something you can do to help your mental health during this stay at home period. This is a simple task that you can do right now, building a morning and night routine.
Why routines work: If you have ever been around children, you can tell when they are out of their normal routine. There are more chances for tantrums, this is because they thrive on structure. A child that knows what time they are sleeping, eating, and waking up has less chances of having tantrums because they know what to expect. This concept does not end when we hit 18 years of age. Did you know that your sleep pattern can impact your depression? If you don’t go to bed till 1:00 am and sleep all afternoon, it can increase depression patterns. Also waking feeling like you have nothing to do can increase feelings of isolation and depression. If you are working from home or have kids, not having a routine for yourself can increase stress and feeling overwhelmed.
Creating a routine, it’s good to start small. Having ten things you want to accomplish can become too overwhelming and hard to achieve. Here are a few tips: For your morning routine try to focus on things that will center and fuel you;
A devotional series
Stretching
Working out
Making your bed
Getting ready before the kids wake up
Have a nutritious breakfast
Drinking a cup of coffee
For your evening routines try to focus on things that will calm your mind and relax you:
Creating a to-do for the next day
Stretching
Gratitude list
Drinking hot tea
Watching an episode on tv or reading a book
Hot shower or bath
I would pick a couple or if there is something that you would like to do not on my list that’s perfectly fine. But it’s okay if you cannot do it all, try doing a couple. Another tip for routines is your sleep and wake schedule. Try to keep them at the same time every day. Ask yourself, If you want a morning routine does that mean you have to wake up before the kids? For me it does. What you might find out though is you will start craving that morning quiet time for yourself and won’t mind getting up earlier. However, you might not be able to go to bed at 1:00 am and get up at 6:00 am anymore. Try thinking about what time you need to go to sleep in order to feel rested for your day. I hope creating a routine for yourself can help you during this time at being at home and will continue to help you feel more grounded when we go back to leaving our homes!