Routines

Routine is defined as a sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program. Society does not always offer positive views or opinions on routines. Movies like Falling Down and American Beauty tell the stories of individuals who become bored or upset by the routines of everyday life. In Falling Down, the main character goes on a violent rampage. The characters in American Beauty see their marriage fall apart. There is also the misconception that routines are a characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder. On the contrary, OCD is a mental illness that causes unwanted thoughts and repetitive behavior. For people living with OCD, excessive repetitive behavior hinders individuals from functioning in their daily lives.

I’ll have been in therapy for three years this November. One of the most beneficial things I have found and incorporated into my life are daily routines. While routines might be boring or mundane for some, I have come to embrace them. They keep me balanced and provide a feeling of control over my behavior and actions. Even though I attend therapy weekly and take medication, there are still times when I have episodes of erratic behavior or thinking. During these episodes, my personal and social life is interrupted and chaos sets in. It’s vital that I get back on track so there is calm within me and my routines are a huge part of that.

One of my routines begins immediately after I turn my alarm off in the morning. I set it for 5am and I make sure to be up within 20-30 minutes. I will shower, get ready and brush my teeth. I typically complete these three things within 30 minutes. Even though I have been working from home since March, due to Covid, I still put my shoes on as if I were going into the office.

Breakfast is next, starting with preparing myself one cup of coffee. Julie doesn’t drink coffee but if she did, I would make some for her. I have two go to things I generally eat in the morning. One is a piece of toast with almond butter, banana slices and honey and the other is oatmeal with raisins and honey. Once one of those are ready, I add agave and creamer to my coffee and sit down to eat. After eating breakfast, I take my medication which is around the same time every day. Making sure to take my medication at the same time everyday has made a huge difference in my life.

Another routine that is important for me to utilize is for running. You may have read or heard some athletes discuss their routines on a game day. While I am obviously not a professional athlete, I do incorporate a routine before running.

I prefer to run in the morning. The night before, I lay out my clothes and gear. Clothes include shorts, shirt, socks and running shoes. Because of past injuries, I run with an ankle brace and calf sleeve; both items placed with clothing. Running gear I use is a dry fit hat, sweat band and handheld water bottle. The last items I get together is my jewelry: watch, bracelet, necklace and a silicone ring for exercising in place of my wedding ring.

On run days, I set my alarm for 5am just as I do for work. I shower, put on my running gear and jewelry and eat a light breakfast that consists of a piece of toast with almond butter. I make sure to take my medication before the run and hydrate with water or Gatorade. I can complete all this in about an hour. There is some slight variation to my morning routine on run days but as you can see, I don’t veer to far from my established routine that I have in place for myself on work days.

It might sound like there is a lot of effort and work that goes into my mornings. I will admit that at first, it was very stressful trying to figure out what works and doesn’t work for me. There was a lot of trial and error and it took me a few months to know what activities to incorporate in my routine and what order to put them in. But once everything began to fall into place and my mornings became increasingly calm mentally, I started to fully embrace the importance of my routine. With this embrace, I now go to sleep with a better sense of well being and look forward to what the next day will bring.