The importance of routine on your mental health

If you're struggling to get out of bed, lack motivation to pick yourself up and start another day all over again you may be worried for your mental health. 

There has been a lot of changes recently with more people spending more time at home or alone, self isolating. 

What can you do to protect your mental health? Read on to find out why having a routine is important and how to you can get back into one.  

Mental Health Routines

How do you get back into a routine? 
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Getting back into a routine helps to train the brain to distinguish between the times when you work, relax and sleep.

If you're working from home it can become difficult to switch off, often going to sleep with a work problem you can’t seem to get around.

​Having a regular routines will help you to plan what you will do upon waking until you go back to sleep.  

This in turn provides a greater feeling of being in control, which will hopefully follow through into your working day. 

Below we've suggested our top 5 routines for health and wellbeing. 

#1 Establish a regular sleep routine
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​“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” – Benjamin Franklin

If you want to perform at your best you need to achieve quality sleep as a priority. Sleep plays a vital role in good mental and physical health including brain function which includes cognition, concentration, productivity and performance.

​The first hour when you wake can set the tone for the whole of your working day. Waking energised and with vigour and vitality will set you up for a productive and successful day. Likewise, waking up tired and grumpy will have a negative effect on your mood.

It really does pay to make sure you get enough sleep so that you can face the day with a positive outlook on life. Sticking to a sleeping schedule each night will aid your body in finding its own natural rhythm so that you can settle into a regular sleep-wake cycle.

​Of course, your routine will depend on what works for your own body, there is no set number of hours that everyone needs in order to wake up feeling refreshed. Once your own unique routine is established, the most important thing is that you stick to it. ​

#2 Get into a planning routine  

People with a clear mindset are fully prepared for the day and can clearly access what their day will look like, making them more productive. ​Making the most of every moment and every opportunity.

Making a list of what you wish to achieve the night before, means you can wake ready to put those plans into action. Sorting through your list of tasks in the morning in terms of importance will really help you to organise your working day. 

You will hopefully feel more productive at the end of the day, rather than writing the day off as a failure because nothing got done.
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#3 Start an Exercise Routine 
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​A morning workout can help you to feel energised all day which in turn increases your mental clarity.

Dedicate more time to your own self-care, learning to nourish your soul, body and mind.

​Taking care of yourself should be a high priority, appreciating the small luxuries in life that time alone allows you to enjoy.​
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​Setting goals for yourself is never enough though, you should always set intentions as these help you to exceed and challenge your exercise goals.

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#4 Take time out to reflect
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Having time alone is the perfect opportunity for reflection on what you need to do to really help you to visualise how you see your day going.

​When you can visualise the most important aspects of your day, you can prepare how you are going to go about keeping your routines in check. ​

#5 Stick with your new routines
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When life does eventually return to normal and you go back to work, try and stick with your new routines. 

​It is often said that our brains are more alert in the morning, but this assumption is mostly reliant on how we have conducted ourselves the night before.​

​Eliminate bad habits like watching TV in bed, surfing the internet or checking social media late at night. Even if you don’t feel tired, taking a book to bed will help you to unwind and relax.

Keep exercising, planning and reflecting on what you have achieved ​as Aristotle once said: 

“It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom” 
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​Millennial Procurement providers of professional procurement consulting services. Visit our website now for more great business blogs and top tips from www.millennialprocurement.com