Creating a Routine:

Aristotle once said “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

To a lot of people, this can sound counter-intuitive, but developing a daily routine can help you to feel more in control. Routines can also help you to make room for all that is important. Routines can aid both your mental and physical health. Structure can help us cope with change, form healthy habits, and reduce our stress levels.

The Importance of a Routine:

• Anchor: Having an outlined schedule of your day can bring comfort. Knowing that you will be having your evening meal at 6 pm, and going to bed at 10 pm, can help ease stress. The certainty of your routine can help to manage the uncertainty of life. When coping with unpredictable periods of time, structure and routine make it seem more doable.
• Quality of Sleep: Sleep is really important for our mental  and physical health. Going to bed and waking up at a similar time most days allows our body to get used to our sleep-wake cycle and sets our sleep-wake clock accordingly. 
• Build on Important Things: Important things include allowing time for ourselves to enjoy rest, relaxation, and have fun. There are going to be times when something important takes longer than we expected, but structuring time to include some downtime increases the likelihood that we’ll manage to have that time most days. We must always make time for self-care. 
• Reduced Stress: trying to remember things can be stressful and can fill your brain up with everything on your ‘to do’ list. This becomes incredibly overwhelming for many people. When we have a routine, a lot of the things we do day-to-day slot in, and we don’t have to think about them anymore.
• Improved Health & Well-Being: Find time to care for your body. This includes implementing time for nutrition and physical exercise. Finding time plan, cook, and eat a balanced diet can seem hard. It is important to find time, as food can really affect our mood. Making time in your routine to do these things can help, because it allows us to block out some time for cooking, eating, and cleaning up afterwards. When it comes to exercise, one of the largest barriers to doing it can be finding time. It can be difficult to fit exercise into our day, especially when life gets busy. By having a daily exercise routine, you are actively implementing movement into your life. 

How Can I Create a Routine?

The most important thing to remember when beginning a new routine is to start slow. Change is going to take time, and big changes will take even more time. 

More Information:

• The Importance of a Daily Routine
• The Mental Health Benefits of Having a Routine
• 7 Benefits of a Solid Daily Routine
• The Ultimate Guide to Becoming Your Best Self

Resources:

• Wellness Coaching
• Student Health and Counseling Center