How Routines Can Help Make The Next 21 Days Stress-Free

The human mind loves a certain sense of predictability. Too much unpredictability leads to a mental meltdown.

Up until now, most of us would have had some sort of an invisible routine. One we perhaps did not consciously set, but follow as a function of extraneous influence - work timings, school timings, schedules of others etc

With the onset of the coronavirus, our "invisible" routine has been disrupted. With this disruption & the scarce boundary between work & life, many of us would be sleeping at odd hours, eating at odd hours, probably even working around the clock. Whilst this might seem ok to begin with, this will soon translate to boredom, irritability, a lack of interest in activities etc. And soon enough our overall wellbeing takes a hit.

To counter this, we need to establish a new routine. One that will guide us through the day, give us a sense of purpose & give our mind a sense of predictability amidst an overwhelming atmosphere of uncertainty.

I would like to share with you the process of creating a daily routine prioritized on the basis of your well-being.

Steps To Create A Routine

Step 1: Fix your sleeping hours

Across the world, folks are falling into bad sleep routines during this lockdown. Sleep is absolutely critical for mental & physical health. One of the worst forms of punishment in prison is keeping a person in solitary confinement & depriving them of sleep. When we don't get quality sleep, our stress levels rise and our cognitive capabilities start degenerating. Sleep also helps in dramatically boosting our immunity & mood.

Aim to get at least 8 hours of circadian sleep. If you want to find out how much sleep your body specifically needs, try to sleep between 10 pm-11 pm and see what time you wake up without an alarm clock. Once you've fixed on the number of hours you need to sleep, fix the time you need to sleep every day.

Step 2: Fix Your Work Hours

With work & life boundaries no longer existing, it is important to set a clear work timings to be super productive.

To make your work sessions more productive, work in short sprints followed by micro-breaks of 5 minutes. Use these micro-breaks to practice deep breathing, get some movement, relax or cuddle with your pet.

Make sure that you start your & end your work at the same time every day. This time boundary allows you to create a clear work-life distinction.

Step 3: Fix Your Cooking & Meal Time

Fixing your meal times helps in reducing anxiety & stress-related binge eating. It gives your mind a sense of assurance that food is available at a certain interval. If you cook food at home ( which I assume most of us would at this point of time), set a reasonable time aside to cook as well.

It would be immensely helpful if you plan your daily meals well in advance so that you don't have to figure out every day. Figuring out what to eat just before your meals is a huge cognitive overload. It also results in us making bad food choices and eating up all the snacks we bought in one go.

Step 4: Fix Your Socialising Time

In the absence of physical socializing time, set a fixed time at which you can socialize with family & friends. It is super important to set quality time aside for this activity as it is immensely important for your mental health. I highly recommend that you set aside at least an hour a day to socialize.

Use this time to involve each other in social bonding activities such as playing games, creating works of art, reading books together, storytelling or even playing social games online with those who are far apart. Even random banter is cheerful to the mind!

Step 5 : Fix Your Exercise Time

Whilst working, we move around a lot more than when we work from home. All those walks to coffee machines, to the play area, stepping out for breaks, walks to meeting rooms etc are lost. These activities are called NEAT ( Non-Exercise Thermogenic Activities) and plays a vital role in our body's energy management.

However, when we are at home, our reasons to move are drastically reduced. So it becomes imperative to do some form of physical activity which makes us break a sweat. Exercise also helps in boosting our moods positively. To compensate for the lost NEAT, I recommend you invest at least an hour to sweat it out.

Step 6 : Fix Your Me Time

Take some time out just for yourself too! This means no work thoughts, no social interactions, no catching up on news. This is the time to indulge in your self-care. What you do at this time is purely up to you. But use it mostly to de-stress. Read / Watch something funny. Dance to some music.

Sample Daily Routine

Here's what my daily routine look's like. This is just to guide you and should serve as a template to help you get started. Try to be as granular as possible when you plan your routine.

Closing Notes

• If you live with family / friends, their lifestyle will also have an influence on the way you design your daily routine.
• It takes some time to get adjusted to your new routine. So don't stress if things don't go as per routine. Be cognizant and optimize your routine based on what you learn whilst executing.
• Keep your routine highly visible. Set it up as reminders on your mobile or print them out and stick it around your house.

All the best with your new routines!