Connie Hopper shares her thoughts on the importance of routine for good mental health.
The great American novelist John Steinbeck is quoted as saying ‘there is comfort in routine’. And while sometimes breaking out of a routine can be refreshing, having one also provides some stability and security.
When that routine disappears, and particularly when that happens abruptly and for reasons beyond our control – in the way it has since COVID-19 – it can be deeply unsettling. This may be even more so for those working in professions like dentistry who are used to having their day extremely organised and split up into timed slots via an appointment book.
Blurt It Out, a social enterprise that helps people with depression, say that ‘developing a daily routine can help us to feel more in control of everything, and help us to make room for all that’s important. Routine can aid our mental health. It can help us to cope with change, to form healthy habits, and to reduce our stress levels.’
While Headspace, a meditation app, say that ‘researchers have found that routine can have far-reaching psychological benefits, including alleviating bi polar disorder, ADHD and insomnia.’
So, at a time when our lives are being significantly impacted by things out of our control, routine may be more important now than ever before.
Creating a routine while working at home
If you are now working from home, it is important to create as much of a routine as possible. Not only will it be good for your mental health but it will also help with productivity.
Below are some tips for setting a routine if you’re working from home:
- Have a start time, dinner hour and end time for your working day and stick to it as much as possible
- Split your days up into sections, i.e. the first hour to be devoted to admin and catching up on any emails, the next hour to be calling patients, the following hour to be updating social media channels, etc
- Schedule breaks in to make sure you are resting in-between activities. A well-known method suggests working on a task for 25 minutes and then breaking for 10 before going back to it or moving on if you’ve completed it
- If possible, create a dedicated space that you work from, so when you’re there you can go into ‘work mode’
- Have something that signals the end of the working day and the transition to ‘home-time’. This could be a simple daily habit like having a cup of tea, going for a walk or blasting some of your favourite music.
Creating a routine if you are furloughed
If you are not working and at home all day, the lack of routine may hit you even harder. Below are some tips for setting a routine if you are at home but not working:
- Try to have good sleep hygiene. Getting up and going to bed at the same time every day has a positive effect on the quality of our sleep, which has a knock-on effect to our mental health
- Set yourself goals, which can be for the morning/afternoon or the day. These don’t have to be big goals, they can be whatever size you want – it could simply be to read a chapter of your book, to go for a run/walk or to make something out of a recipe book
- If you’re struggling with boredom, consider learning a new skill. Lots of organisations have discounts or free courses at the moment – taking a course may help to give some structure to your day and give you a sense of achievement
- At the start of each week think about what you need or want to do that week, whether it’s online CPD, finally getting those DIY jobs done or renewing an old hobby, and write out a schedule that will enable you to stick to it without becoming either overwhelmed or disenchanted
- And most importantly, be kind to yourself and ensure you have downtime as well. Having goals and a structure to your day is important, but don’t put pressure on yourself to achieve if you know you need a breather.
Whether you’re working from home and struggling with getting everything done or not working from home and feel like you’re free-falling with the lack of structure, setting a routine could give you back a sense of stability and control that may have been missing since COVID-19 struck.
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