5 Reasons Routines Are Critical For Living Well Beyond Recovery

Have you jumped on the habits and routines bandwagon. You see all the posts on social media platforms, the books, meditation apps and YouTube videos. It’s everywhere.

Productivity experts tout their special journals and planners in the name of good habits, efficiency and stress management.

I have read many of their books and purchased the planners only to leave them on my shelf unused and collecting dust (planners aren’t the best for me personally but SO many people love them).

You might be scratching your head right about now, the same way you do when your child says something so off the wall and contrary to your family values. Because you know that transforming daily habits and routines is quite literally one of the four main pillars of my entire work.

It is so important that it might be one of the most talked about topics on the Confident Sober Women podcast and Facebook group.

For women in recovery from substance abuse this importance is elevated even more. We often learn when we get sober that we are undisciplined by nature, that it’s hard for us to follow directions, listen to advice or do what’s good for us. We are rebels.

So yes, for sober women learning healthy habits and routines in early sobriety is a huge part of changing our lives. And then as we stay sober and grow, we get older, our children have challenges, life keeps happening, said habits are necessary to properly ground us in our lives and provide the roots of stability in our day.

We had this HUGE tree in our front yard for years, it looked like it must have been hundreds of years old (I have no idea that’s just how it felt to me). The root system was so extensive that it damaged our driveway and was literally poking out of the earth as the natural erosion of our yard occurred. I remember looking at that tree and thinking it would never fall. There’s just no way with that kind of root system that that tree will perish.

This is the effect that simple, practical routines have on our lives and families. But as with anything we do, it is important to connect the change to your WHY.  Why do you want to do this thing? What will it do for your life?

Here are 5 reasons daily routines are critical for living well beyond recovery.

1. Routines and habits also give us anchors in our day. They create predictability as we move through life, things we can count on. When we commit to certain habits and then do what we say we are going to do consistently they help us build trust in ourselves.  This creates manageability in our lives.

 

2. Routines reduces stress. They eliminate the use of a ton of brain power to think of all the things you need to be doing. Routines promote feelings of order and organization which reduces stress.

 

3. Routines support our mental health by reducing overwhelm and increasing our internal feeling of having control of our lives. This will reduce anxiety and depression and help to stabilize your mood.

 

4. Routines make us more efficient. We tend to stay more on task when we know when life is predictable. You know what comes next.  This takes away the need for a lot of planning for each day, you know what you do every morning and every evening and certain other times of the day.

 

5. Routines build Self- confidence. When we create a routine and stick with it, it gives us a sense of tremendous satisfaction. That provides us with the ‘fuel’ to continue our routine and reap the benefits associated with it. And for us, that is what we are all about in this journey beyond recovery.  Building confidence, trust and self love.

 

My recommendation is always to take with small baby steps to build sustainable change. Start with knowing your WHY. What is it your want in your life. Which one of these reasons resonates with you the most.

Connect with your why and then make one small decision that you can do today to work towards an end goal.

Xo,

Shelby