Even though the pandemic has ended, our lives have gone through various altercations when it comes to our daily lifestyles including our social lives, academic ventures and jobs. However, many of us fail to realise, some may even choose to negate, the effect it has had on our daily routine. Due to the aforementioned forms of lifestyles, we have been used to a certain kind of ‘schedule’ or ‘regime’ that we have been sorely lacking these past few months. Though it may not seem so, it is indeed a concerning matter as this sudden shift from the regular will only make it harder for us to return to it once the quarantine has been lifted. So, here are 4 simple ways or steps to ensure that we can maintain a semblance of a routine for our well-being during these trying times.

 

1. Maintain a fixed Sleep Cycle

One of the first parts of our lives that has been affected is our sleep cycles. Since the majority of us do not have to live by a fixed schedule due to the lockdown, we can clearly notice the concerning changes in our sleep cycles. It is imperative to get this under control as it can take a toll on our physical and mental health. This can be done by regulating the time we sleep and wake up by giving ourselves an ample amount of rest within a fixed period of at least 6 – 8 hours. 

 

2. Regulate intake of food

It is imperative that we ensure the consumption of meals at proper times and with fixed intervals so as to remain healthy. This will also serve as a routine lifestyle and provide us with a semblance of normalcy we desperately need now.

 

3. Give yourself a “Task of the Day”

One of the main repercussions of this quarantine is the overwhelming sense of a lack of purpose. Time is now at our disposition and with so much of it in our hands, it can be hard to find ways to make optimum use of it. Assigning one task per day to yourself helps provide us with a purpose and a sense of routine as well. The task can be one as simple as rearranging your bookshelf or tidying up your cupboard; one you have not had the time to do until now such as furnishing your art and writing skills or reading that novel you have been putting off for a while now. The ‘task’ is not what is important here but the purpose it serves and gives you is. Allot certain hours to completing the task, take enough breaks but try your best to get it done within the day!

 

4. Maintain a journal

What has served as a past time during the days of ‘normalcy’, can help ensure the completion and regulation of the aforementioned steps so as to return to a routine lifestyle. Make a definitive but flexible list of things that you wish to accomplish each day as soon as you wake up. Alongside maintain a journal, keeping track of the time spent on the completion of these activities is imperative too. This can be done using apps like Pomodoro or even by setting alarms for when you would like to regulate your progress on the tasks. This will also help keep track of sleep and food cycles that need to be regulated as well.

 

These steps might seem understandably overwhelming at first but if we choose to maintain a balanced routine lifestyle during these unbalanced times, they will definitely help in doing so. However, what is most important is that we follow these steps at our own leisure and rules at first, for only then we will be comfortable enough to fall back into the mundane routine life.