On Thursday, I presented my latest presentation entitled “ Routine 101”

I remember a time a few years back, when I was truly struggling with anxiety and my mental health. When I think about it, the one common factor that probably contributed to my struggles back then, was a lack of structure and routine in my life. 

What I have learned over the past few years is that I usually need to go beyond my “ comfort zone “ to challenge myself and at the same time adding new routines to my life. With my recent life experiences, I would say that having Structure and Routine are possibly two of the most important parts of staying mentally healthy.

Some things to remember about routine ;

Having a regular routine creates a sense of familiarity and control that can reduce stress levels, and help you feel more in control of your time, and life in general.

Having some structure also helps to fight back against anxiety, because you start focusing more on your daily routine and improving your life, and less on the feelings of anxiety. Lack of routine can make you feel unmotivated and distracted. Structure is necessary for creating stability in our life and routine can help you stay focused and to get things done.

There are some things you can do that will help when you struggle with anxiety;

Think about the many things you’re grateful for before getting out of bed, or when you go to bed at night. Being grateful for what we have is so important.

Sleep does play a big role in our mental and physical health. Work on getting between 7-9 hours per night.

Every night when I am getting ready for bed, I make my to do list for the next day. For me, there is something about the physical act of writing things down that seems to motivate me to get those things completed the next day. 

Slowly add new things into your routine. There are a lot of things you can start doing daily that will help with anxiety and depression. Such as: working out, eating anxiety reducing foods, reading a good book, walking, and journaling. 

Take it one day at a time…learning to take things one day at a time helps you to stay mindful and keeps you more in the moment. It also takes the pressure off. Try to enjoy the process as you are building up a new routine for your life. Focus on today, and remember what you are grateful for. 

Push yourself, but don’t overdo it. Work on putting yourself out there, just pull back before you reach the point of hating something so much that you never want to do it again.

 Try setting an alarm  about an hour before bed. Make this a time you turn off your electronics, and as a reminder it’s time to go to bed. Try cutting off all screen time at least an hour or two before bed. Maybe even do the same with your phone? Not sure if turning off our phones would work for most of us. This will give your mind time to settle and relax before bed. They say that when we are on our phones or tablets too late in the day, it stimulates our brain and makes it harder to go to sleep at night. 

 Write down anything that’s bothering you…before you nod off to sleep, try writing down anything that you’re worried about. This will also help you go to bed with a relaxed and clear mind.

In closing, when it comes to routine and structure in our lives, about four years ago I honestly wasn’t very familiar with this terminology . But now that I attend DBSA meetings most every Thursday, I totally understand the importance of structure and routine and have learned to understand what it means in our lives. Just coming to this group every week is an important piece of the much needed routine and structure in my own life. And it’s an important part of the routine in your life as well.