It’s no secret that 2020 has been a challenging year. I have noticed that for many of my clients and me personally, this has created an environment that is difficult to practice consistency with a positive routine. Could changing your daily routine really help with mood, energy, and overall mental health?
In short, the answer to the question from above is an overwhelming YES! Having structure around your routine can do wonders for your overall mental health. But how do we change the routine and habits we have now? It does not have to happen all at once. One thing I discuss a lot with my clients is to try getting one percent better each day rather than changing your entire lifestyle/routine in one day. Before you know it that one percent will build and you’ll be closer to the goal you originally set.
What are Some Habits to Work On?
There is not one habit or skill that every person should try to develop into their daily routine. What helps one person‘s mental health may not another. However, there are three main areas that I usually see directly related to one’s mental health and those are what we eat, how we sleep, and the amount of exercise we get. If you can not think of something you want to change with your routine or do not know how to start this could be a good place to practice.
How we eat – A lot of my clients have noticed changes to their eating this year. Many of us are home now more than ever due to COVID-19, so it makes sense that our eating patterns might have changed. Many of my clients have noticed more energy, more focus, and better mood when they eat consistent meals and snacks throughout the day. After all, our bodies need fuel to help us accomplish the things important to us in life.
How we sleep – I know we have all heard the saying “make sure you get your 8 hours of sleep each night.” This is great and highly recommended by doctors, but we all know it is not that easy. When it comes to sleep, consistency is key. What I mean by this is even if we can only get 6 hours of sleep make the time we go to bed and wake up each morning the same as much as possible. This small change can go a long way with help in energy levels and allowing us to get into a deeper sleep.
How we exercise – an overwhelming amount of research has been released on how exercise can directly affect one’s mental health. I am a huge advocate for exercise, but also understand that we are all busy and exercise can feel like just one more thing to check off your to-do-list. I think the key here is to choose activities you enjoy and work it into your schedule in the best way possible. This could look like taking your dog for a walk or working in your garden after work. The theme of this post is consistency, and with consistency in exercise your mental health can flourish.
Creating a Positive Routine with a Counselor in Charlotte, NC
If creating a positive routine or more structure in your schedule is something you struggle with I hope this post will help. Creating good habits one small step at a time can snowball into a more positive life both mentally and physically. If you see that creating a positive routine is still difficult for you then please do not hesitate to reach out to a professional like me to help develop a routine that allows your own mental health to prosper.
