Building a routine

In the few months that I have been off work to take care of my son, I have completely lost any sense of a daily routine. I eat when I’m hungry, sleep whenever I can, and during the times in between, I waste away on the couch until the next need hits.

Having a bit more structure in my day can really help remind me to take care of myself. If you make a healthy breakfast at the same time every day, you are much more likely to do it than if you wait until you’re starving and grab something quick.

Now that I am returning to work, routine is even more important. I have less time every day to get done everything that I need to do so I need to make sure I have some semblance of a plan. When do I cook so I have healthy food available? when do I exercise? when do I give my body and mind some time to rest?

This is my biggest focus this week. Structuring my time and making sure I can fit in little healthy habits throughout the day that were completely forgot about when I was living in crisis mode.

I am already noticing a huge difference after just a couple of days. I am eating 3 healthy meals every day, I’ve started exercising again after not doing anything for a year, and I’ve starting adding to the journal that was collecting dust on my desk.

To help myself succeed, I’ve been thoughtful about how I organize my space. I keep my journal and supplements on my work desk so I remember to jot some things down and take my pills before I start my shift. I also set aside some time on the weekend to plan and shop for my meals and make sure that the foods I chose were healthy and easy to prepare quickly during my work day. Most importantly, I cleaned up our storage room so I could access and use the elliptical that was hiding in there.

I am sure over the weeks and months to come, this routine will shift as I discover new tasks or habits that I would like to incorporate and drop old ones, but the constant theme of structure will always be a positive influence.