By Foteini Lioliou,
In recent times, there is a growing tendency to build routines and plan your entire life based on these routines. There are many people, actually, who claim that they do whatever is on the agenda. Nonetheless, nobody grasps how important it is to create a schedule that will aim at the achievement of your daily and perhaps life goals.
Needless to say that a routine begins with a simple step. Setting on an alarm and waking up in the morning. If you do find the strength to wake up then it is quite easier to force yourself to do all of the tasks on the to-do list. And once you start doing them, you cannot stop. The to-do list is now the main focus, the one and only thing that you have to excel at. You are aware that it is going to improve your mood, somehow.
It is widely accepted that a daily routine is beneficial for your mental health. To state it simply, creating a schedule of activities that you have to perform throughout the day fosters your mental health by reducing an enormous amount of stress. A striking example is that when you have all of your day planned in detail, you do not have to worry about anything else. If you stick to your program, you have nothing to fear or be anxious of. Your mind is, therefore, concentrated on performing these activities and not focused on any negative thoughts and anxieties.
In addition, a routine can lead to a healthy lifestyle. It takes no more than a week to build a habit and hence a lifestyle. If one initiates exercising or eating healthy food on a regular basis, then he or she can develop a lifestyle that will keep the person fit and will boost their mood. Being physically active is fundamental to mental well being too, since exercise can enhance one’s mood and concentration.
A routine can affect one’s academic development as well. For instance, journaling is a hobby that more and more people take up, nowadays, and it is very effective when it comes to recording and reflecting on your own thoughts. Habits such as reading and studying can also have a positive impact on the improvement of one’s academic skills. For example, someone who is into reading will be able to accumulate as much knowledge as possible that will be helpful for future exams. Of course, research showed that the development of academic skills boosts the person’s confidence and provides them with more motivation and knowledge to continue.
In general, having a routine boosts a person’s self esteem as they become a lot more assertive since they are able to accomplish their own valuable goals. This sense of accomplishment is accompanied by a sense of productivity, which allows the person to perform more than he or she would actually perform. Productivity inspires people to keep going and motivation makes them willing to succeed in what they do.
Lastly, it is essential to mention that sticking to a program is sometimes way too difficult. There are going to be days, when you simply do not want to make an effort to accomplish any of your daily goals. These days are in fact already planned. They exist as a reminder that you can take a day off and relax but not give up. In these cases, all you need to remember is that you cannot stop trying. You have come this far and giving up is not an option. You can allow yourself to breathe but you should keep running. Evolving. Changing. Growing.
All in all, having a routine is not only significant but also quite satisfactory as it gives you the sense of accomplishing all of your goals in life. It is beneficial for your health and your well being, too. Yet, it can be quite exhausting and that is when you know that you can rest for a day before going back to all of your planned activities.
References
- Exercise and mental health. betterhealth.vic.gov.au. Available here
- The importance of routines. fortbehavioral.com. Available here
