Getting Back to a Routine and How to Mentally Prepare for It

With March here, it marks the one-year mark that the world has been affected by COVID. Let’s be honest here: the last year has been pretty rough and has affected people not only physically but mentally as well. Our lives have changed drastically with people not being allowed to see their loved ones, having to find ways to entertain their children at home, being forced to work from home and find a way to self-motivate to perform home workouts.

There is good news though! With more COVID vaccines being approved and the numbers of people being vaccinated increasing the world is starting it open up again: People are returning to the office, schools are allowing kids to return, and gyms are reopening! This means returning to (A form of) regular routines, which is not always the easiest. Below are some tips and tricks to make the transition back into a routine a little more smooth.

Break Things Down

It can be daunting when you think about what you want to do and making a bunch of changes at the same time. So much so, that it’s common for people to get caught up in the thought process and not actually make any actual moves towards change. One of the best ways to get past this mental block is to break down your task into smaller tasks. This will give you more of a clear path of the steps you need to take to get there.

Set Smart Goals

This goes hand in hand with the last tip. Knowing the “Goal” is extremely important whether relating it to becoming more physically active again, focusing on your mental health or even just becoming more socially active. By setting SMART goals you have a way to monitor your progress and increase your chance of success!

Photo by Cathryn Lavery on Unsplash

SMART Goals are:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-based

By putting writing these specific details down, you can always hold yourself accountable by referring back to them and checking your progress.  

Become Okay With Deviations 

With change comes stress. YOU are the person who is going to be the most critical of yourself. It is important to remember that things aren’t always going to go as planned. In these times the most you can do is to do your best at being self-aware and identifying these moments. When this happens take a second to reset, refer back to your SMART Goals and realize what you need to do to get back on track!

And with that ladies and gentlemen, I wish you luck! Try out these tips and get after that routine, whatever that looks like to you.