Why is routine good

When we create daily routines through exercising or changing our sleeping patterns, this allows our bodies to adjust and know what to expect. The same goes for mental routines—creating predictable scenarios through habits allows your mind to adjust, understand what to expect, and alleviate anxiety over the unknown.

Journaling is a great way to establish a regular schedule, especially for those struggling with the symptoms of anxiety disorder. Journaling at the same time every day can help you start a process—or routine—of mental restoration and wellness. For people with busy schedules, daily plans can promote healthy lifestyle habits. Simple changes like packing your lunch before work can help you eat a more balanced diet while going to bed at the same time every night can promote a consistent sleep schedule.

Additionally, set aside time to focus on your physical health. For parents, establishing healthy family routines can help young people adapt to the new realities of working from home, home-schooling, and temporary unemployment, according to the World Health Organization. According to a national survey on behavioral health , one-third of adults in the United States experienced extreme stress within the past year, while nearly half of adults believe their stress levels increased over the past year.

The gradual accumulation of stress leads to burnout, which can cause mental and emotional exhaustion, poor interpersonal relationships, and lost productivity at work. While it affects everyone differently, burnout can lead to serious health conditions and mental health issues over time. No matter how busy you are, there are different ways to prevent and combat burnout. Instead, pick a few small things each week to work on. You might choose to cut out a bad habit , like spending too much time on social media or to add something new and positive, like spending more time with family members.

Making changes to your daily life can be hard, and you might forget to follow your routine every once in a while. In addition to creating a routine, individuals experiencing mental health symptoms should explore other treatment options, including:.

Your sleep schedule and bedtime habits affect your mental sharpness, performance, emotional well-being and energy level. Better health is a result of just a little extra planning. Even a quick and healthy breakfast will get you energized. Good example setting will encourage others to try a routine as well. You demonstrate its importance and the positive effect it has on health, motivation and self-esteem. Kick-Start Your Life Everyone is unique. You Might Also Like. Healthy Tips. 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.

There are some things that you can make a part of your daily routine to help manage stress levels. These include:. 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 orders due to COVID have left many people with blank schedules, which can be a daunting prospect. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Goldman recommends paying attention to how you feel throughout the day in order to determine what times of day you are the most productive.

When you find yourself in those moments, think about what you might need to feel better and get motivated. That might mean that you need to take a break, go for a walk, have a snack, or spend some time working on a hobby. Structure your day to make the most of the natural ebb and flow of your energy levels.

You'll get more done and ensure that you're getting what you need in terms of rest and relaxation. It's not easy to create new routines, or add structure to a day, when our lives feel completely disrupted and turned upside down, so it may take some time to get used to this "new" routine and be able to feel accomplished. Everyone copes with stress differently. The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this.

Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. The importance of creating habits and routine.