Maverick Life

Maverick Life

Why routine matters – what the psychologists say

Why routine matters – what the psychologists say

Cultivating a routine goes beyond making sure that we achieve our goals – our well-being depends on it.

“Accept that this is the new normal, for as long as it lasts. Set a schedule for rising, meals and bedtime. Resilience thrives with proper nutrition, and rest. This is not the time to self-medicate with drink or drugs. Get dressed as though you’re meeting people outside. Fill the day with projects and end it with pleasant rituals such as reading and catching up with friends over video. Build in time to exercise, from YouTube in the living room or outdoors.

“Consider what anchors and relaxes you– meditating, music, yoga or gardening. Watch funny movies. Steer clear of social media that makes you anxious, and restrict news consumption, especially one hour before going to sleep. Start a journal,” says veteran war and disaster correspondent Judith Matloff, in an article published by Columbia News on how creating a daily routine can help tremendously in times of crisis.

Although routine has been the subject of many articles and self-improvement books, in the era of lockdowns and remote offices it has become even more important. Here on Maverick Life we’ve delved deep and looked at strategies for setting up a home-working environment and suggested a few tips on routines to help us settle in the new remote-working normal, we’ve shared ways that teams can maintain effective communication through new structures and routines, we’ve considered the importance of working out and looked at exercise apps that can help build your new routine.

Clinical psychologist and Maverick Life contributor Stefan Blom has written “a guide to slowing down and taking stock of what matters”, that not only advises new ways of thinking about stress and anxiety, but also techniques and tips for new routines we can incorporate for the well-being of our mental health and our relationships.

“People tend to thrive when life feels predictable. That sense of knowing and anticipating events and their consequences can really help an individual to remain calm, centred and grounded, creating a feeling of safety, security and stability. So when faced with radical or abrupt change and chaos, this can be very challenging because it is viewed as a disruption to the already-established order that a person is used to.

“Distress, panic and anxiety can arise from change, and chaos, especially when it is unexpected, has significant effects and is prolonged with no defined knowledge of when things will return to normal,” says Cape Town-based clinical psychologist Esona-sethu Ndwandwa.

“Routine helps us feel grounded and centred. It makes us feel like we are in control of our lives and gives the feeling of safety in knowing what to expect. It offers emotional and mental containment and preparedness, which lend themselves to a general sense of safety and control to some degree. This then leads to less stress, decreased anxiety, and an improvement in a range of physiological aspects too,” she adds.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to routine, nor do we have to treat it like a military-style regimen.

“Some people find it helpful to write down an agenda or timetable of how the day might unfold, what time they’re going to wake up, what they’ll do when they wake up, when they’ll have their breakfast, what they will do for the rest of the day, and to have it in a very sequential, itemised way.

“For other people, it’s less necessary to have a detailed itinerary, but some kind of structure for the day is probably very helpful for a lot of people, with activities such as schoolwork and housework, scheduling some time for exercise, having some quiet time watching TV and reading, spending some time with others or spending some time alone. Many people also find prayer or meditation quite helpful,” says Professor Ashraf Kagee, from Stellenbosch University’s Department of Psychology, and co-director at the Alan Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health.

“I think certain things will work for certain people and certain things won’t.”

For many who are already a few days into lockdowns and quarantines, the experience of sticking to a self-defined routine might have presented some challenges, like ensuring that they are able to stick to it day after day. In addition to writing down one’s goal, Kagee also recommends reaching out for support.

“You can also share with other people how you plan to spend your day and then ask them to check with you to see whether you’ve indeed adhered to that routine and the structure. Some people find WhatsApp groups really helpful, where groups of people kind of know what you’re doing, and by when it should be done. That might be a way to create some kind of structure and ensure that you indeed adhere to the routine that you have.”

It is also important to remember that a routine is a tool for our well-being and positive functioning, and not a whip with which to self-flagellate, or an opportunity to obsess over our perceived weaknesses.

“The most important consideration which increases the likelihood of sticking to a routine is that it must be realistic, practical and should include things which you find beneficial and some which you enjoy and look forward to doing.

“A routine, in its most basic form, means that there is a plan for the foreseeable future which allocates time to doing the things that need to be done. It’s important to be flexible, especially when the time-frames for staying home are undefined – rigidity can in itself bring about anxiety when something in the schedule needs to change.

“Customise your routine so that it works for you, and have reasonable expectations of yourself,” says Ndwandwa. DM/ ML

If you would like to share your ideas or suggestions with us, please leave a comment below or email us at [email protected] and [email protected].

Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of Maverick Life delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning.

Gallery

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

We would like our readers to start paying for Daily Maverick...

…but we are not going to force you to. Over 10 million users come to us each month for the news. We have not put it behind a paywall because the truth should not be a luxury.

Instead we ask our readers who can afford to contribute, even a small amount each month, to do so.

If you appreciate it and want to see us keep going then please consider contributing whatever you can.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options