I want to talk about routine..

Hi Guys,

Today i want to talk about routine, it is a funny concept, one which most people either love or hate, and i would be so interested to hear which way you see it!

For me, routine rules the roost! Without routine i freak out, i am the same with change, although i am learning to accept it as much as possible as the saying goes…

And i do agree, i just find it hard to let go of behaviour that makes me feel safe and secure, that’s the bottom line! 

The other night my friend was telling me how chaotic her life is, she has a new temp job where she works in the evening and spends the day at home… she is waiting on hearing about a full time job she should be starting but they are dragging their heels on it and she is in limbo! Even the thought of being in that situations sends shivers down my spine, and of course she can’t help it but it has highlighted for me how quickly a routine can be set and then smashed to pieces..she explained that her first week at this temp job was the worst, she didn’t know where she was at and it effected her mentally, the second was a little better and the third week it was beginning to feel normal!

My total panic over thinking about this lack of routine got me thinking, how does having a routine effect me and why?

For some people the thought of having to do things at certain times is their idea of hell.. so i had a little think and came up with  things that make having a routine good for me!

1.My mental health thanks me – My anxiety levels go through the roof when i don’t have a general plan for any given length of time, the day, the week, my life in general!! When i can think through what my movements will be and why i am doing them i feel so much calmer and things are much more bearable, i am in control, and i need that! 

 

2. Ticking things off the list! I am a self confessed obsessive list maker, by planning my day and creating a routine, i am much more likely to tick things off the list that i need or even want to do, it means once i have achieved what i feel like i have to, i am able to relax into something that i want to do like watching TV, catching up with friends etc.

3. Going to bed on time. This, i suppose goes hand in hand with the above point, but i like to have an hour before bed where i put my PJ’s on, and just watch something to wind down, but because i know i can’t switch off until i feel like i have got everything done, if i didn’t have a plan of what needs done there’s no way i would achieve this, and i go in to a bit of a melt down when its getting late and i’m still busy, at that point i am tired too and that’s when my anxiety attacks are the worst! 

 

4. Decisions are already made, giving you more time to do what you need, and it gets faster too. When i come in from work i sit down and do an hour ish of blog work, no fuss, just sit down laptop on and get it done, that means by 7 o clock i’m pretty much done with that and can chill and have dinner with hubby, because i do it the same everyday i don’t have to try and fit it in, its already there, organised and planned, it sounds crazy maybe, but i feel way more productive this way!

5. It keeps me SANE and that is the most important thing! For me, a routine avoids chaos, in a physical and emotional sense! I am a creature of habit, its probably more that i am a control freak! But it works for me!

I am not a fan of the fact that i HAVE to do things in a certain way, for years i tried to fight against it and be ‘more adventurous’ but as i have got older i have realised that i actually wasted more time trying to change! I am who i am, and that’s okay! And actually if anyone came to me worried about how chaotic certain parts of their life is, i would certainly suggest trying a routine out, it doesn’t have to be tying, and regimented in every way, it can just be a way to make life a little easier, and isn’t that what we all want?

I would love to hear what your thoughts on routine are and if you stick to one or not!! 

Until next time my friends….

 

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