Though many of our articles may be about things you can do to fill your time during the outbreak COVID-19, there can be a variety of activities and routines for which you don’t have to get stuck doing the same basic mundane tasks every day. One of the most important things you can do in this trying time is to create a routine for yourself to stick to. It is vital that this is a healthy routine, not only for your physical health, but for your mental and emotional health as well. Isolation and quarantining can trigger depressive episodes and cause a lack of hope among those who struggle with their mental health. Creating a routine will assist in battling these mental health struggles, and will help to get you out of bed to do something in the morning. Humans are creatures of routine, and it is healthy for us to create one in times like these where we create priorities for our new, daily life.

1. The first routine you can begin focusing on is more fun for everyone, being skin care. How can this help with your daily success? Think of how much better you feel when clean, fresh and ready to start your day. It’s an easy thing to brush over and ignore, but if you’re stuck inside regardless, you might as well spend some time improving the quality of your skin and hygiene. A simple google search will equip you with the right products for your skin and in what order they should be put on. It also adds some  distraction from the pandemic we are facing to care about mundane things such as skincare. It doesn’t hurt to appreciate the little things.

2. Another new routine we all will have to be focusing on is doing school work online. Getting a head start on your day and workload in the morning will free up the rest of your day to do whatever you want. With your free time, you can pick up new hobbies or find different activities that you never knew you were interested in. It can be tough to force yourself to get out of bed to do your schoolwork, but once it’s done, then you no longer have to burden yourself with the worries that procrastination comes along with.

3. A healthy sleep schedule should also be put into your routine. I know better than anyone how easy it is to stay up to 4 a.m., especially when you have no certain time to get up the next morning, and the days feel so endless. Setting a certain time to put down your phone, whether it’s 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., can allow your brain to relax and get ready for bed easier. The lighting and coloring of our screens increase our brain activity and keep us up more. Once you begin doing this and setting up a time weekly to focus on just calming down from your day, then you can create a healthy sleeping routine. 

4. Incorporate “me” things throughout your day. A routine that can be beneficial to your overall happiness and well-being is just as important as any other routine I have talked about previously. Whether it is allowing yourself to nap if you have an early and busy day, or doing a few minutes of yoga to focus on yourself and calm your anxieties, you should do something for yourself in your daily routine. It’s important to set boundaries for yourself so you don’t simply do “me” things all day—watch one episode of a show if you don’t have too much time. 

Creating routines is important to our well being especially in times like these during the COVID-19 outbreak. It only takes 21 days to create a routine, so what’s stopping you? Decide what you will do for a healthy, daily routine today.