Developing a daily routine that gives us structure and discipline is something we all need, especially right now with the virus and riots that are happening it is a very uncertain time. Structure and routine can help us stay sane and worry or stress less.
What is a daily routine? A daily routine is the things you do each day; these include:
- Breakfast or coffee
- Read or watch the news
- Get ready for work or whatever else we have scheduled that day
- Lunch
- Work meetings
- Errands
- Dinner
- Relax time
How do structure and routine help us?
Routine helps us achieve our goals, stress less, be more creative, and live up to our full potential. We can develop good habits and sustain a healthy, well-adjusted life in recovery. It helps us see new opportunities knowing that we can take those opportunities and be successful.
A daily routine will help you get rid of bad habits and replace them with good healthy habits. Healthy good habits like exercise and a balanced diet will help your body and mind stay healthy. Exercise also helps you sleep better and works off stress.
The structure a routine brings to our daily lives will make us more efficient by wasting less time and stopping procrastination. Tackling things today allows us to make sure we get to the most critical tasks first. We will stop putting off things that we can do today. Prioritizing our days with the things we need to get done first and then using the time left over to get a head start on tomorrow’s jobs or using the extra time to exercise.
Another way a routine helps is that it saves us money and time. We can also track our successes, and it helps us with better self-esteem as we accomplish the goals we have set.
Building your routine is up to you and what works for you. Mondays may be different than Thursdays. You may have a routine during the week and none on the weekend or follow it six days a week and have one day to sleep in and laze around the house. It never hurts to have one day to do what comes along, so long as it does not develop into a bad habit, ending up as two or three days.
When first setting up your routine, consistency helps to make it permanent, allowing you to build self-esteem and good habits. It is that consistency, self-esteem, and healthful habits that will help you maintain your recovery.
At 449 Recovery, building a routine and structure is part of the tools we use to help you through detox and then reach recovery to the point that you are ready to take the next step of sober living. Our goal is to teach you the life skills, including routine and structure, to sustain your recovery. Call us today (855) 435-7449 to learn more about our detox program and therapy for rehabilitation.