The Psychological Benefits of Routine in our life

The moment we wake up and open our eyes in the morning, thoughts start to rush one after another before we are able to even process it properly. The moment one wakes up, they start making decisions. Those decisions can include whether to wake up or sleep more, to check phone after waking up or to get freshen up first, to make breakfast first or to have morning coffee. As the day passes by, one takes the decisions related to his office commute or the colleague that is going to accompany in their commute, to listen podcast or songs while travelling in metro. These are those decisions that one makes on everyday basis.

Making such decisions on everyday basis can lead to stress in an individual. To reduce or eliminate this daily stress a person cuts off these everyday decisions by planning or scheduling it ahead of the time. This pre planning of actions which one make on a daily basis can be termed as routine. Some other examples of having a routine can be having a meal at the scheduled time, making a bed after waking up first, having fruits in breakfast, taking out some ‘me time’ and reading a book while having evening tea etc. It is not always possible to stick to your routine and that is normal.

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Why People Are Unable to Stick to Routine?

There are a lot of factors that stop or hinders people from maintaining a healthy routine. These factors involve whether the person is employed or unemployed, what is their nature of work, what is the duration of work etc. The financial status of an individual also affects his probability and affordability of having a routine. Moreover, the location where one lives, his travelling hours on a daily basis, the family environment, if there is any physical or medical condition, the way they have been brought up etc. Adds to their probability of following a healthy routine. Our way of thinking and decision making forms our habits and these habits become a part of our routine. Change in routine from healthy to unhealthy can be a sign or an indication of some challenging mental health condition or poor mental health.

Benefits of Routine

Maintaining a routine can have a lots of benefits. It enhances the overall life of the individual and helps them manage their life efficiently. Some of the benefits one can reap out of having a routine are:

1) Stress Reduction:

It helps to build a plan for day to day activities and rituals which ultimately make one feel that their life in under their control. This feeling of having control over life helps to reduce a person’s stress and function better.

2) Quality Sleep:

Having healthy a bedtime routine and throughout the day as well is very important for the person to have sound sleep. As we all know sleep gives boost to our mental health, having a good sleep schedule will ultimately lead to overall well-being of an individual.

3) Taking Out Time for Self:

With the help of a routine, one can take out some time for themselves where they can do self-care activities like taking a walk or going to salon and pursue their hobbies such as baking, reading books, watching movies as well. In the busy schedule, lack of routine can lead to an exhausted you at the end of the day.

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3) Relationship Management:

having a routine helps in time management. Family is one of the big part in every individual’s life and people with poor time management and lack of routine struggle give time to their families. Having a routine can help you to figure out to give more quality time to your family. Researchers have found links between family routines and children’s social skills and academic success. Also, routines are valuable for families during times of crisis. If a parent is ill, for example, children with routines are better able to cope (WebMD, 2021). Researchers also says that children who don’t have a proper and meal time, bed time and study routine are more prone to develop ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder).

Ways to Form and Stick to Healthy Routines

Doing too much too fast at a time might overwhelm one before even starting a routine. Here are few steps which can help you to form as well as stick to a healthy routine:

1) Identifying Current Pattern of Routine and Take Baby Steps:

Start with making a list of activities that you do every day by default at a particular time of the day. You might not know, but you are somewhere following a kind of routine. Now few modifications are needed to be done to this existing routine to make it healthier. As mentioned above, don’t do everything at one time. Take small steps and include healthy habits to your routine.

2) Make an Achievable Plan:

This is a good way of tracking your progress and reminding yourself to follow the plan. Even small goals like making your bed after waking up can add value to your routine if done consistently. Breaking goals into small parts make them more achievable and can direct you to other higher goals as well.

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3) Limiting Distractions and Tracking the Progress:

It is very common for people to face distractions while following a routine. One needs to identify those distractions and limit them in such a practical way that they become a part of routine which is healthy. It is important to track your routine, especially in the forming stage, to stay accountable of it. It is also important to not aim for the perfection all the time. It is normal to sometimes skip or even forget doing something. However, do not let it be the excuse to abandon the routine completely.

4) Reduce or Eliminate Unhealthy Routines:

Not all routines are good for your mental health and wellbeing. If a routine you’re following makes you feel unhappy, unhealthy or stressed, it’s worth trying to stop. Even reducing how often you do, it will help. Try slowly replacing it with something that would be better for you (Beyondblue).