Organization, Routine, and Mental Health
The spring season is a natural motivator to refresh - spring vibes can be used to jumpstart organization, routine, and structure in our lives. Committing to a lifestyle change in these areas can be a great way to work towards improved mental health. And because May is Mental Health Month, this month’s blog is all about using structure and routine to support mental health!
The relentless commitments of daily life can cause significant stress- working, parenting, commuting, shopping, cleaning, cooking, spending time with friends and loved ones, fitness, and all the other tasks we do on a daily basis can create overwhelm and lack of motivation. Once this happens, it becomes harder to stay invested in routine, and discouragement can erode progress and commitment to these lifestyle changes.
For individuals with mental health problems, the stress of every day life can be even more debilitating. Lack of structure and routine can be a triggering factor for sleep disturbances, mood swings, and relationship difficulties. People struggling with addiction, ADHD, bipolar disorder, circadian rhythm disorders, and depression can be especially impacted by disruptions to routine.
When we establish routine, our days are organized in a way that we can feel better prepared to handle disruption and accomplish tasks within the structure we have created. Mentally, we may feel stronger in the face of adversity because we have already made plans to deal with the regular demands of life, which leaves a bit of extra headspace for hassles. With an established organization and routine, we start the days knowing what to expect and feeling confident that we have added an element of control over the upcoming hours. By giving structure to our days, it becomes easier to spend a bit of time managing our self-care as well, which promotes ongoing positive mental health.
Having a regular structure for eating, sleeping, and exercising can lead to improved physical and mental health. Individuals who adopt and commit to daily routines report having less distress when dealing with disruptions and stressors.
Here’s some tips to keep your life structured and organized. And before you start, keep in mind that it can take an average of 66 days for a behavior to become an established routine - so don’t be discouraged if it takes a bit - and keep at it!!
Use a paper planner or electronic calendar to keep track of appointments, due dates, and tasks. Set a time for yourself weekly to spend time updating your planner and reviewing your plans.
If you have a busy family lifestyle, an additional monthly dry-erase calendar and/or a shared electronic calendar can be a great help in keeping the whole family organized. Teaching children at a young age to see the value of organization and structure can be a wonderful tool to learn self-management skills.
Create a “needle list”. This is a list of the little things that need to be done and are easy to procrastinate (making doctors appointments, scheduling oil changes, contacting repairmen, etc). Set aside a time to take care of the items on this list. This can be especially rewarding to do on a Friday morning, so you can enjoy your weekend unbothered by annoying things to do!
Create a simple morning and evening routine. Certain tasks like making your bed, picking out clothes for the next day, preparing lunch and snacks ahead of time, etc have been proven to help people stick to their plans and feel more productive and accomplished.
Plan time to hang out with friends! Rather than continuously texting about “getting together soon”, reach out directly to friends and offer two or three dates and an idea for an activity to help solidify plans. Better yet, enlist a friend for regular plans - a weekly yoga class, Sunday walks, meetups at the dog park with pets and kids, etc.
Test out different organization systems for your home - a well-placed folder for school papers, a key rack by the door, a laundry sorting area, or a set of drawer organizers can be a welcome addition to help keep things sorted.
Try to have set days for chores and tasks - some people may want to do their shopping, laundry, and other errands all on one day while others might have one task for each day (shopping on Monday, laundry on Tuesday, cleaning on Wednesday, etc).
Do a spring cleaning and decluttering! Open your windows and spend a day or two donating or recycling old items along with cleaning your home - then enjoy the feeling of a simplified and fresh environment:)
Lastly - because we can’t forget about therapy - schedule a set consistent appointment with your therapist when possible. That way you are more likely to stick to your commitment of regular therapy time to focus on your mental health!