Tags – Mental Health Benefits of Having a Routine
There are a few tasks we have to do everyday, like working, cleaning, cooking, exercising and so much more.
And with all of this, it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed from time to time.
Sometimes, it may even feel like marking everything off your to-do list is impossible, but more so if you’re struggling with a mental health disorder, such as depression.
However, by establishing a daily routine, it will allow you to set aside some time to focus on tasks, and some time to focus on both your mental and physical health.
Simply, routines are important in every stage of life, from childhood to adolescence through to adulthood.
Essentially, routines help us to cope with change, create healthy habits and reduce stress.
Furthermore, studies have shown that daily routines have far-reaching mental health benefits like alleviating bipolar disorder and preventing substance abuse.
With that in mind, here are 3 of the main mental health benefits of having a daily routine and how to create one.
1. Promotes Healthy Habits
If you have a busy schedule, having a daily plan can help to promote healthy lifestyle habits.
For example, little changes like packing your lunch the night before work can help you to eat a balanced diet, or sleeping at the same time can promote a consistent sleeping schedule.
At the same time, you want to set aside time to focus on your physical health too.
Now, we’re not saying spend hours at the gym, but scheduling in a few minutes of high intensity interval training (HIIT) can help to boost your self esteem and improve your mood.
2. Alleviates Stress & Anxiety
If you suffer from stress or anxiety, it’s important to take a moment, sit down, identify what’s worrying you and address these concerns.
Positively, when creating a daily routine, this helps your bodies to adjust and signals what to expect.
In other words, creating predictable scenarios will help you to alleviate anxiety over the unknown.
To do this, journaling is a great way to establish a regular schedule, as well as start the process of mental restoration and wellness.
3. Combats Burnout
The more stressed you feel, the more likely you are to experience burnout, which in turn can cause emotional exhaustion, loss of productivity and poor relationships.
And even though it can affect people differently, burnout can lead to serious mental health issues over time.
Regardless of how busy you are, you can prevent burnout by:
- Sticking to a routine
- Taking breaks for yourself throughout the day
How to Create a Daily Routine
Before you start listing down all of the daily tasks you need to complete, remember to make your mental health a priority.
So, here’s how you can structure your daily or weekly schedule for optimal mental health.
And whilst it may not sound fun, structure can be quite liberating when you realise that it actually frees up your time and energy for the things that matter the most.
Please note, everyone’s routines will be unique to them, so make sure that it works for you, otherwise it will not be successful.
For creating your routine, include things like:
- A set bedtime and wake-up time: try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day if possible. Doing so will help you fall asleep easier at night and to wake up in the morning, so you aren’t starting the day late and worse, feeling stressed.
- Healthy breakfast: as they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and eating a nutritious meal in the morning will set you up with energy.
- Exercise: working out is a really effective way and taking care of your mental health. So try and get in some exercise, even if it’s just a brisk walk.
- Prioritise your to-do list: you may be tempted to get through the quick and easy jobs first, but the problem with this is that they may not actually be priorities. So, always do the most important thing first, not the easiest.
- Appreciate the good things: to improve mental health, it’s a good idea to keep a gratitude journal where you can list a few things that you’re grateful for before going to bed.
- Have fun: your routine also needs to include the things you do for pleasure everyday. We all have different ideas about what’s fun, so make sure you do things that make you happy.
Now, there’s so much more you can add and it may seem like a very long list.
But don’t worry, this isn’t to overwhelm you, it’s about making you more efficient so you have more energy and healthier habits.
All in all, keep in mind that creating a routine to support your mental health can involve some trial and error.
So, start by adding one healthy habit to your routine at a time and slowly build on this.
All it takes is 21 days to form a new habit, and the same can be said for setting a routine.
Basically, if you set and stick to a plan for 3 weeks, there’s a greater chance you’ll stick to this routine for a long time.
For more information, please get in touch today.
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