Where has routine gone? It’s still here, but you have to look a little harder to find it under the zoom meetings and wardrobe of pjs–and you have to look for it under the hustle and bustle of the holidays! Look no further for 4 simple things that will help you regain normalcy in a new way.
- Wake up on time and don’t hit snooze. The best way to combat daylight savings time is to cement your new schedule into your routine. Don’t stand up your morning coffee or tea cup for a much needed, set date! Did you know that humans have a behavior that will habituate us to certain sounds? After a while, the alarm tone signals sleep because we are used to sleeping before and after it goes off. We need to be sensitized to sounds, and changing your alarm ringer works in our favor. Change up your tone every month and you’re more likely to wake!
- Dress up for work at home. Lipstick for Zoom? Yes. Put a tie on to work from your home office? Absolutely. Getting out of your pajamas works wonders at helping you see that glimmer of a routine. As a bonus, picking out your outfit for the next day saves on time and stress and it essential for if you are still commuting.
- Have a night time routine. Along with picking our your outfit for the next day, having a set time to go to sleep, or an unwinding ritual like making a cup of tea helps immensely. Reading a chapter of a book a night or knowing when to shut off the tv to go to sleep also helps. Set a gentle reminder for yourself nightly so that you can sleep the best you can. If you’re having trouble sleeping, identify if you think it’s sight or sound, and look into a white noise machine (I use Dohm at work for spa treatments and suggest a power chord variety so batteries don’t trip you up) to explore your options of which senses will help you in getting peaceful sleep.
- Practice gratitude. Know that what you’re doing right now is important, and that your lifestyle alone deems what is necessary or essential. You can find numerous reasons why what you do for work or how you volunteer matters! Replace your negative thoughts with goals and positivity. If the stress of life is getting in the way, focus on what you have! You can think about why you are grateful or verbalize it with an affirmation.
Stay well and don’t forget your most important investment: you.
