2020 marks the year where many had to give up their established routines and find another work-life balance at the start of quarantine and regulations of social distancing. Many also went through a stresful time of adjusting to the new enviroment – even though they stayed in the comfort of their own homes, the daily routine has changed significantly and it took time for people to get out from the bad taste of sudden change. We’ll go through the change from moving our whole lives from inside to having to balance them out once again when the safety regulations allow.
In this article, we’ll present you 5 steps that can guide you in getting back into your regular routines. Doing so isn’t easy, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be done efficiently. Putting active effort into it will surely make you feel much better and you’ll end up avoiding sluggishness that comes with any change of environment or pace. To bounce back and settle in successfully with getting back into routines or starting a new, positive one, continue reading this article for personal fulfillment.
- Start small
Start small, meaning giving yourself small goals and taking things day by day to develop routine and positive habits. It is important to know that changes always happen gradually. Forget forcing yourself to get on top of your game if you are just starting something. From smaller goals, you through a spectrum of other ones until you reach the envisioned main goal or habit.
You can start by motivating yourself, although motivation is a tough thing because it isn’t our companion 24/7, we can plan out and use small goals to motivate ourselves. And that is where the „start small“ comes in. Using smaller goals, for example, preparing papers for work beforehand will push you into being more relaxed and oriented to the bigger task that is due to be done.
Remember to make them attainable and realistic, it is the key component in starting small. To make yourself motivated and keep the positive outlook wage your goals and plan them out how can they work to benefit You.
- Take care of yourself
With the stress that comes after a change, health becomes the most targeted area that can suffer. If there aren’t healthy ways of dealing with the change, our sleep, eating habits, physical activity, and social life can become overshadowed with the menacing tasks and goals that are too big.
That is why remembering to take care of yourself is of utmost importance. If you’re not feeling alright, it can lead to a collapse in your everyday system because you won’t be able to focus on anything. Battling stress and keeping your health in check can be done with three simple steps. Two easy ones to cope with the change of environment is writing journal and practicing deep breathing. Seeing your written words or relieving the tension by taking deep breaths can be the therapeutic experience you might need and it takes only a few minutes of practicing to notice the difference.
The easiest way of taking care of yourself – sleep. Ensure quality sleep by getting rid of your electronics and drink tea just before your bedtime.
- Let yourself get adjusted
Give yourself a period to settle in. Think about the feelings you are going through and name them. It is much easier to find a solution when you know just what is stopping you from doing things smoothly. Probably the worst feeling that can come from being rash and not giving yourself the time to process a change is feeling lost or depressive.
Remind yourself that you are in control and notice how you are dealing with the change of environment. Tell yourself „You’ve got this“ and tackle it step by step. It will let you have control over your schedule and going back into work mode will be made much easier.
- Plan plan plan
After a break, it’s hard to remember what exactly you’ve been doing and what was needed to be done. So before rushing in and throwing all the tasks in every corner of your mind, sort them out and make a list. Sit down and asses what is a priority and what needs to be done when. It will help you have a clean space around you but also in your head.
Especially when going back into old daily routines it is important not to fool yourself into thinking that everything needs to be done at once. Take a deep breath and arrange the tasks. Remember to give yourself a couple of days to get back up to speed. Lists and game plans are the best to battle overwhelming feelings you might experience when going back into work, school benches, or any other situation you find yourself surrounded with tasks.
- Don’t stop with newly inhabited habits
With no commuting to work or school, many had more time to dedicate their time to hobbies and things to do to ease the boredom. But what happens when you suddenly don’t have as much time for it? The answer is simple, still, enjoy it however you can.
Say you read a lot of books during your break. Don’t think that going back into your old routine should mean that you need to stop reading. If it brought you joy and fun don’t leave it, instead, use it as your motivation to push you through the stress that may occur when you go back to work or school. The key is in finding the time to do what you love, it can be during commuting, a break or schedule the time for it just before you go to sleep. Make it a habit that you like doing, one that you associate with being calm and you’ll ensure positivity during the change.
Conclusion
Make conscious efforts to see the progress of the change between your environments. Wage what is important to you and see how you can benefit from it. After the break, you might even see the different perspectives of how you manage things and what are the habits that do the most good to you. After going back into your routine, ask yourself. Is there anything I need to change? How do I make my day more productive? Am I happy?
Any change, if used wisely can be served for positive purposes. To see what you are operating with and make it so you can succeed and be a better version of yourself in the times to come.
