Some people love to have a solid daily routine, while others shudder at the thought of having a predictable schedule. During times of great stress, however, maintaining structure and routine can help you feel more organised and in control.
Having a routine can be helpful at any time, particularly if you are trying to establish healthy habits, but these routines can be particularly important when aspects of your life feel uncertain. The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have dramatically altered many people’s normal routines, which makes it that much harder to cope with the stress that people are feeling.
A sudden lack of structure
Many people are either working from home, back in the office or faced with the prospect of an unknown period of unemployment. Those working at home may quickly discover that the constant isolation and lack of a normal schedule can be mentally taxing.
A lack of structure and routine can actually exacerbate feelings of distress and make you pay more attention to the source of your problems. As Goldman, a psychologist and clinical assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine, explains: “If people don’t have structure and are sitting around with less to focus on, then they also probably will find themselves thinking about the stressful situation more, which can also lead to additional stress and anxiety.”
One way to get out of this cycle that promotes ruminating over the source of your stress is to maintain some structure and routine throughout your day.
The benefits of having a routine
Research has consistently shown that routines can play an important role in mental health. One study, for example, found that routines could help people better manage stress and anxiety.
Having a regular routine can help you:
- Lower stress levels
- Form good daily habits
- Take better care of your health
- Help you feel more productive
- Help you feel more focused
Getting necessary tasks out of the way can also help you find more time for healthy behaviours like exercise and leave you more time to enjoy fun activities and hobbies.
Some things that you can do that will help you maintain a routine when you’re stressed:
Focus on things you can control
Managing your own behaviours can help you feel more in control of the situation. Goldman recommends focusing on the things that are within your power to control. The key is to create a routine that adds structure and a sense of predictability to your day. Of course, your schedule may change somewhat depending on the day of the week, but sticking to a basic structure for when you wake, eat, work, do activities and sleep can help you feel less stressed out and more organised. Structuring your day also ensures that you accomplish those basic tasks that must be done, which will leave you with the time to schedule in other things that you want or need to accomplish.
Follow a routine that supports your health
There are some things that you can make a part of your daily routine to help manage stress levels. These include:
- Staying active and getting regular daily exercise
- Making sure that you are well-rested
- Eating healthy meals on a regular schedule
- Setting realistic goals
- Trying to stay positive
- Preparing for challenges but not ruminating on things you can’t control
- Staying in touch with friends and family members
- Setting aside time for activities that you enjoy
Of course, the situation you personally are coping with can also affect how easy or hard it is to stick to a daily routine. Stay-at-home advice and hybrid working due to COVID-19 have left many people with blank or unpredictable schedules, which can be a daunting prospect for many people. It’s important to find things to fill your time so you don’t end up engaging in unhelpful or unhealthy behaviours.
Make Your List
One helpful activity is to make a list of the things that you normally do during the day. Include everything from work to meal preparation to household chores. Once you have an idea of the basic tasks you need to accomplish, you can start creating a general outline for what you might need to accomplish each day to stay on track.
While it’s important to get the essentials done, be sure to find things that you can look forward to, whether it’s watching a favourite television show or calling up a friend. Making these little rewards a part of your routine can help you stay upbeat and focused when you are working on a task that you might not enjoy as much.
Find What Works for You
Is it better to have a structured daily schedule or just a general to-do list for the day? Some people might thrive with a highly structured daily schedule that outlines activities in specific blocks of time, while others might do well with a loose list of things they need to get done in the day.
How do you decide which approach is right for you? Consider your motivations as well as what you need to get done. “If it is something that is of high importance and needs to get done on a specific day, then scheduling it into your routine and carving out that time may be necessary to make sure it gets accomplished,” Goldman recommends.
In other words, deliberately schedule a specific time to take care of those high priority tasks. Knowing that you have that time set aside for those tasks will leave you free to focus on using the rest of your time effectively. Goldman also suggests that it may be helpful to schedule things that you may not be motivated to do.
Knowing that you need to do those tasks at a certain time on a certain day will help keep you on track and hopefully overcome the urge to just keep putting them off.
Remember it takes time and practice
Just like trying to create a new habit, starting and sticking to a new routine takes some time and effort. You know yourself best, so if something doesn’t seem to be working, try tweaking your schedule to make it work for your needs.
Useful Sources & Information Information sourced for this article was originally published by verywellmind.com. If you would like to access this and further information in more detail please follow the links below –
https://www.verywellmind.com/the-importance-of-keeping-a-routine-during-stressful-times-4802638
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-to-do-when-you-have-no-motivation-4796954
If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘The Positives of Structure & Routine’ it is being delivered live on Wednesday 1 st December at 12pm, please use the following link to register for this session –
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1424643132754208527
If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.
If you feel you may need some support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.
Please be aware that Care first is an external provider and the information in their webinars may not fully align with advice from the University on some subjects.