Most of us will be settling back into routine following the break over Christmas and new year. For some of us this will be exciting, and we’ll be happy to get back into the swing of things. For others this will feel uncertain and overwhelming.
If you sit in the camp of uncertainty and overwhelm then keep reading for some of our top tips to help you navigate the transition...
Build back slowly…
Getting back to routine isn’t an easy process – focus on easing back into it and one step at a time (especially if you have had the full 2 weeks off).
Start small, even though you need to get back to routine, that doesn’t mean you need to do everything straight away. Make sure you schedule down time and fun in amongst the serious stuff (if you have January exams this is particularly important).
Don’t beat yourself up if things don’t go to plan if the first week or two. You’ll get back to it.
Focus on the automatic stuff…
You will be going back to school, college, university or work. This creates a base for you to settle back to your routine. You will need to get up early again and do all the things that come with that return to ‘normality’.
If you start with these points as a baseline all the other pieces of the ‘routine puzzle’ will start to fall into place (e.g. bedtimes, food, wake ups).
Back to exercise / sport…
Take a moment to think about how much exercise and training you have done over the festive period. This will help you set realistic targets for January.
Can you get back to some sort of exercise, if you have done very little over the festive season and you don’t feel ready to get back to running or the gym, then start with walking or some mobility/stretching to get yourself moving.
Once you have settled into the routine of doing these things you can then look to building back into the more intense exercise and sport focus.
Back to your to-do list…
Have you still got an unfinished list from the end of last year, or did you plan ahead? If so, this will be the best place for you to start.
You could also start of by doing a new year brain dump to get all the ideas out of your head and on to paper. From there you can make your to do lists.
Get back into the routine of checking off and celebrating the wins. To-do lists make planning and scheduling a whole lot easier for the weeks to come.
Back to good habits…
It isn’t always easy to get back to those good old habits. You want to stay in the mood for a little bit longer, I get it. But that doesn’t help you get back to routine.
So, get in the right mindset again and leave that daydreaming behind you. You can always daydream on the weekends.
Of course, you can also develop some new habits after a break. It’s all up to you.
Back to a good night’s sleep…
What really helps most of us get back into routine, is getting back to my evening routine and waking up early again. Let my body know it’s back to the daily processes.
Start with getting back to bed at your usual time. Let your body and mind know it’s time to take it easy.
So go to bed at your usual (earlier) time again, set your alarm, and get yourself out of bed. Let’s condition your body and mind for what’s gonna come eventually.
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