As I work with people of all ages in my therapy practice, I often talk about the sacredness of routines. Routines are holy and significant because they give us scaffolding to make life easier. And I can't think of anything more sacred than doing the work to ease the burden of being human.
Routines are patterns.
By following a routine, we can complete daily activities faster.
Routines reduce stress.
Routines create predictability in a wildly unpredictable world.
Routines create consistency and consistency helps us to improve our habits.
And good habits save lives.
Routines create security and emotional stability.
Self-care routines for things like fun, exercise, rest, hobbies and friendship) improve well-being.
People with routines stay on track with goals. And our dreams are more likely to come true if we have goals that we stick to.
Routines take a “cognitive load” off of us by helping us make easy decisions faster.
Families and friends love routines. Let’s get together once a month for a supper club. Let’s do family dinners with all of us on Sundays. Let’s go to Mexico every January until we can’t.
Here are some good examples of routines and things they may include:
Morning – wake up, water, exercise, food, stretching
Exercise - type of work out, length, ways to track/measure
Work or Study - workspace, daily goals, time management techniques
Meal Planning - creating a plan, shopping, cooking, storing.
Bedtime - winding down, managing screen time, reading, meditation, prayer, gratefulness
Self-Care - bath, skincare, hobbies, mindfulness, medication, connecting with friends and family (texts, visits, phone calls, letters)
Gratitude - reflect on the positive experiences and people in your life
Financial - budgeting, tracking of expenses, cadence for saving and investing
Learning - dedicated time to studying, reading, establishing goals, taking classes
Cleaning & Organization - decluttering, organizing, cleaning, discarding
Mindfulness - use of medication apps, videos, books, journaling
Social - regular social interactions with friends, family, etc.
Goal Setting - creating goals, reviewing goals, revising goals
Hygiene - taking care of our earthly vessels