Come December, and an exciting yet nervewracking time begins for us all. While holidays are a joyful time meant for reconnecting with loved ones, exchanging meaningful gifts, and taking a break from a hectic work schedule – the holiday chaos and lack of routine can often leave many feeling lost and disconnected, letting the winter blues conquer.
After all, routines have a great purpose in our lives. They help reduce stress, make time for healthy habits to stick, keep your life organized, and keep you ready to stay at the top of your game.
Wondering how to find stability in holidays? This Rebuilding Guide is here for you.
The Loss of Routine Amidst the Holidays
Why does the holiday season leave us feeling ungrounded?
Most of us have some sort of structure in our daily life, and that structure is often disrupted with the welcome (or not) of the holidays. The excitement of travel, family gatherings, and special events during this time results in our daily habits taking a backseat. This can make one feel lost and disconnected from one’s goals during, and especially after the holiday season.
Some ways in which the holidays can disrupt your routine include:
- Sleep Problems: Whether it’s late night parties, changing time zones when travelling overseas, or simply the stress of throwing the best new year bash – regular sleep patterns may be thrown off amidst holiday chaos. This can leave one feeling exhausted once the fun is over and it’s time to get back to regular routines.
- A Break in Healthy Habits: Did you promise yourself you’d go to the gym every morning? Or that you’re going to cut back your caffeine consumption and eat healthier? One may have put in the work to establish healthy habits, but plans during holidays may not always be compatible with those habits.
- Disrupted Work Schedules: Relaxed work schedules or a complete pause in regular days may throw off the daily routines one established in their professional life.
Though the changes that come with a happy holiday are sweet and welcomed by most of us, underneath the surface, they can leave us feeling off balance and out of sync with ourselves. These changes ultimately affect our mental and physical wellbeing.
Can Routines Help Rebuild Life After Holiday Chaos?
What is a Routine?
A routine refers to a series of actions or activities that we do regularly. It refers to a structure built into our lives (whether we’re talking about a singular day, or a weekly/monthly routine) to achieve goals, finish tasks, or simply indulge in activities that feel good. Thus, routines help us get things done and make life feel more predictable.
For example, a typical morning routine might include waking up, brushing your teeth, having breakfast, and getting dressed. One does this everyday and in roughly the same order. Similarly, a work routine might involve checking emails first thing, having meetings, and then tackling a to-do list of tasks.
The Benefits of Having A Routine
Wondering why routine is important for us? There are many answers to the question.
Researchers, psychologists, and medical professionals alike believe in the power of routines. They serve the essential function of maintaining stability in our lives, which helps us feel more in control.
Let’s dive deeper into all the wonderful things that having a routine does for us, and how that can, in turn, help you find your way back to yourself after the whirlwind of holidays:
Stress Management
Recall a time when you were overwhelmed with a lot of tasks and were not sure where to start. What did you do to overcome it? It is likely that you planned out how to finish them all by adding structure to the chaos – perhaps through To-Do Lists, prioritizing their urgency, etc.
Adding structure is exactly how routines help us manage everyday stressors better. A routine puts your tasks in order and helps you feel in control. This avoids the helplessness and overwhelm you may be feeling when the day is chaotic.
Rebuild Health by Maintaining Healthy Habits
Maintaining a routine is an excellent way to incorporate not just healthy practices into your everyday life, but turn them into habits that stick. Research has suggested that making lifestyle changes for better health outcomes is enabled by incorporating them into your daily routine (Arlinghaus & Johnston, 2018). For example, fixed bedtime routines allow you to maintain sleep hygiene and get sufficient sleep (Mindell & Willianson, 2018). Thus, if you make it a habit to get 8 hours of sleep through a fixed bedtime, you can ensure that your body and mind get the rest they deserve.
Restoring Focus and Productivity
Routines are known to improve cognitive functioning, and interestingly even improve employee creativity (Chae & Choi, 2018). Reduced daily stressors and regular sleep can help you tackle issues caused by burnout and fatigue. Further, designated time slots for relevant tasks with appropriate planning allow you to get into the “zone” when engaging in a complex task. This in turn allows you to have the energy and mental clarity to give your daily tasks your full focus and be as productive as you aspire to be.
Psychological Benefits
Knowing what to expect and having control over your day can improve your mental well-being. Researcher Hou and colleagues (2020) argued that getting into regularized daily routines after the pandemic can be an effective way to restore one’s mental health. Having a clear path to finish your daily tasks, manage stressors, and indulge in healthy habits allows you time to include activities you enjoy in your day. This in turn will help you stay in a better mood and at your best.
Maintaining balance
A well-planned routine ensures that you don’t neglect any aspect of your life. It helps you manage personal and professional goals while balancing physical, mental, and spiritual health. Not only does a routine find you answers on how to rebuild health; it also becomes a way to rebuild life.
Building Routine to Find Stability in Holiday Chaos: The Basic Steps
Assess Your Current Situation
Once the whirlwind of the holiday season is over, it is time to step back and assess where you stand. This would involve reflecting on how you’re feeling now – physically, emotionally, and mentally. When you have some answers, take some time to make a list of areas in your life that may have lost stability after the holidays.
Set Clear, Achievable Goals
Goal-setting is an important step in making effective changes in one’s life. Do not be vague with your goals and define them specifically. For example, the goal to “get healthier” is generalized and ambiguous; it does not necessarily define the steps you can take to achieve it. On the other hand, the goal to “start exercising for at least 30 minutes everyday”, is specific enough and achievable. It gives you an idea of a clear plan – what you need is to find an appropriate time to schedule exercise in your day. Then, you can work towards defining what kind of exercises you’d like to add in your routine.
Start Small and Be Consistent
Jumping the big guns in a transitional period where you’re trying to rebuild your routine is a bad idea! Don’t set yourself up for failure. Start small. For example, instead of expecting yourself to energetically exercise for 30 minutes straight after a long holiday, give yourself the time to have small setbacks. Reward yourself for achieving smaller goals, for instance, finding the energy to wake up on a cold morning to exercise. Rewarding yourself and making smaller, achievable goals will help you stay motivated to achieve more. Starting big and not meeting your expectations might leave you feeling disappointed.
Plan Ahead
The holiday season often leaves us scrambling at the last minute, but getting back into a routine requires a little more foresight. Amidst the fun and the busy schedule of your holiday, it is a good idea to find time to plan your way into getting back into routine after the holiday. Don’t wait for the holiday to be over — make a mental list of all the goals you’ve left behind while the break is ongoing.
Revise and Balance
Made a plan ahead, got all your lists just right, and things still didn’t help in finding stability after holidays? That’s okay! Life changes, and so should your routine.Regularly evaluate your progress and revise your routine when something isn’t working. Revision of plans is also a great chance to incorporate missed activities in your daily routine. Maybe your initial plan focused too much on your professional life or physical fitness (you may get caught up with losing the holiday weight!) and is not giving you enough time for your personal relationships. A re-evaluation will help you go beyond just one area of your life.
Conclusion
As fun as the holidays are, not only can they leave us feeling drained, both physically and mentally – but they may also disrupt our regular routines that help us have a buffer to find stability in our lives. Thus, embracing the stability of a routine is a great way to ease the transition from the chaos of holiday festivities back into everyday life. It will help you feel less overwhelmed by reducing stress, finding steps to re-establish healthy habits, and bring back that much-needed sense of control.
Take the first step today! Plan ahead to ensure you’re on track to building a routine after the holidays.
