Why It's Important To Stick To Your Daily Routines During The Coronavirus Outbreak

It’s no secret that our lives have been uprooted these past few months—and chances are the same can be said about your daily routine. Many of us are working from home, accommodating more people than usual, sleeping later, or feeling emotionally drained. And when our schedules change and we aren’t feeling our best, routine is the first to go. 

But this doesn’t have to be the case. Yes, times are uncertain, and the future is unpredictable right now, but we can (and should) maintain some semblance of structure in our lives, even in the face of this pandemic. 

To speak to the psychology behind daily routines and their importance during times of crisis, I tapped nationally recognized child and family psychologist, Dr. Jennifer Hartstein. Needless to say, she had a lot of insight into how and why we should stick to our routines. 

RJ: “I love a daily routine as much as the next person. But I’m curious: Do you think it’s important to have a routine, especially now? If so, why?”

JH: “Yes, I think it’s definitely important. Generally as human beings, we really do better with structure. We just do. Our moods are better managed; our lives are better managed. Right now, it doesn’t have to be as strict as we wake up at the same time and go to the office. Instead, we should create some sort of schedule every day that we follow, because it does impact our mood, ability to focus and attend to others, and our ability to manage what’s happening. We like the predictability of a schedule.”

RJ: So what could a healthy routine look like while in quarantine?

JH: For example, if you’re working from home and you usually wake up at 7, but don’t have to work until 9, maybe wake up at 8, make your coffee and breakfast, work out, whatever you do. You might have to shift your shift around, but I recommend that people move it in such a way that they still have something that’s reliable. I like to think of it as boundaries with flexibility.

RJ: And what about on days when we’re just not feeling it? How do we handle “falling off the routine wagon,” so to speak?

JH: There will definitely be days when you’re just like: “I’m not feeling it. I’m feeling overwhelmed. I’m not sure I’m going to get everything done that I want to get done.” In those cases—allow that. Be kind to yourself. Allow that, and then move from there. These weird work from home days feel like a vacation, but it’s not. This is just how life is for a while. Give yourself the downtime—it’s okay to take a break—but then just pick it back up. It’s going to take some getting used to.

RJ: And then there’s the issue of accountability, right? No one is around to hold us to our schedules. What are your thoughts on that?

JH: Holding ourselves accountable will also be an adjustment. At work, someone else is holding you accountable, so we feel like we have to do things. But I think the question is, why aren’t we important enough to be accountable to? External validation runs the show so much of the time, and that’s sometimes why things fail. Contrary to what you might think, you’ll actually have more buy-in and are more likely to stick to something if you do it for yourself than if you have to do it for other people.

RJ: That’s fascinating and actually makes a lot of sense. Another question I have is around productivity and guilt. I know many of us feel like we have to be productive all the time, otherwise we’re just being lazy. How do we give ourselves leisure time during the week without feeling bad about it?

JH: I’d say the best thing to do is put a time limit on that leisure time. If you want to wake up and watch TV for two hours, that’s fine. Set an alarm for two hours, and then fully engage in watching TV. 

When we judge ourselves, it pulls us out of mindfulness. Our judgment pulls us into an emotion-filled space where we’re beating ourselves up, we feel guilty, we put ourselves down. But if you’re making an active decision to watch TV for two hours, fully engage. Don’t look at your phone or be on your computer. 

Being engaged in whatever you’re doing benefits the situation in three ways. First, you’re going to enjoy yourself more because you were actually doing the activity you wanted to. Second, you can realistically be done after two hours because you allowed yourself to be all in. And third, you might actually do the activity for less time because you’re fully there. When you give your full attention to something, you enjoy it more and you’re more efficient about getting it done.”

RJ: Last question. Can having a daily routine help with anxiety? The anxiety we might feel in general, and new anxiety brought on by this pandemic?

JH: Absolutely. Stability helps us manage our mood, whatever that might be—depression, anxiety, anger, all of it. Also, anyone who is prone to anxiety is bound to have elevated levels of it right now. If you can create some structure, it gives you a sort of stability that you don’t have in your head, because anxiety puts us in a state of irrational and catastrophic thinking. Structure can provide us with some grounded-ness, and it pulls us back into reality—so it can only benefit everyone.

For more expert advice on mental health—and a community to help you get through this experience—join our Private Pure Joy Wellness Facebook Group! 

To join, click on this link, then tap “Join” and I’ll accept your request when I see it. Looking forward to sharing more tips and tricks for surviving this pandemic with you. 

We’re all in this together. 

xo

Renata