How routines helped me during Quarantine

Photo credit: THE 5TH @ Upsplash

Now more than ever, when life has become chaotic due to the infamous word of 2020 “unprecedented” times. Do we need routines in place to stay sane?

I know I did, and I am almost certain many of us can benefit from it. We all went through the phase of overindulgence at some point during the quarantine (for some of us it may still continue), where we probably exceeded ourselves in eating, drinking or any other guilty pleasures we may have had.

There’s no need to feel ashamed for that, it was after all, a time of uncertainty and quite frankly continues to be. Routines can help us bring normalcy into our lives.

Here’s how:

Creating healthy habits- I am sure you’ve heard this before in your Cosmopolitan magazine, self-help books, and from the most successful people out there. We may not even realize that we already have routines in place such as: washing our face, brushing our teeth etc. when we wake up. They just become second nature to us, but in reality they are healthy habits that we have created.

Imagine you incorporated something new, that you know will guarantee a feel good moment that can hopefully expand throughout the day. Some ideas are: having tea/coffee, journaling, uplifting music, meditation. The list can go on, that’s just to show that there are limitless things we can add to our routines that can later become habits.

Consistency- We’ve all been there where we set a goal maybe for New Year’s Eve or even towards the middle of the year; where we either start off energetic and then just slowly lose motivation or in other instances we don’t even start at all. It’s to no surprise, that the more we do something, the more it is ingrained in our mind and bodies.

Once we create a routine, our mind and body craves it. That’s why if we suddenly stopped doing something we have been doing for a long period of time, we feel like something is missing. It is simple- the only way to see results is to be consistent!

We know what to expect- This is a big one, especially now that we have experienced a pandemic and massive shut downs due to the restrictions of Covid-19. Every day has felt like an emotional rollercoaster for all of us. Many have suffered so many loses, personal (loved ones, jobs, financial) and more collective losses (business closures, social distancing) that impacted all.

Having a routine in place can give us a sense of stability. We know when and where it will take place. It can be a morning, afternoon or evening routine that we look forward to everyday. That one thing that gives us some peace and joy for that moment in the day.