During these uncertain and trying times, it can be super hard to get lost in the shuffle of just lying in bed all day staring at the television or phone. For me, I found myself getting super comfortable lying in bed and watching tv while I was leaving in a complete disaster of a room, hadn’t washed my face or brushed my teeth, and there was beginning to be a mountain of chip bags that had decided to mound up in my room. I started to feel like I had no energy to even simply put away my laundry or bring the empty water bottles in my room out to the garbage.
As I was sitting in my room around 5 P.M. on a Tuesday with online classes not begging for another week, I started to question something. What would it be like if I implemented a schedule so that I wasn’t feeling so lousy laying around the house all day? The more I started to think, the more this sounded like a great idea for me. Lying in bed, I took out my phone and began to type up a schedule for the next day. It went a little something like this:
10 A.M. – Wake up, wash face, brush teeth & make a smoothie
11A.M. – Shower
12 P.M. – Pick out an outfit for the day and get ready
1-2 P.M. – Work on any lingering school assignments & have lunch
3 P.M.- Bake something or talk a walk
4-6 P.M.- Take the time to relax! Watch a movie or read a book
6 P.M.- Have some dinner and spend time with the family
7-9 P.M. – Play board games with the fam and maybe watch a family movie
10 P.M. – Get ready for bed/nighttime routine
11P.M.- Get some rest!
I set my alarm and was ready to wake up the next morning with a plan and a purpose. The next morning, I followed my routine and it felt really good to wake up and have something to do that morning other than lay in bed and stare at my phone for the next couple hours. By the time 3 P.M. rolled around, I was already on my way to bake some cinnamon bun cookies and then take a stroll with my mom down the road. It felt great to have the time to do something like baking that I love so much. It honestly felt amazing to have a routine because the days prior I had been feeling kind of down. I missed my friends, my boyfriend, and having that routine of going to class, getting a coffee with classmates, and even going to work!
I felt kind of lost in a haze of staring at my phone from when I woke up at noon and then would look at the clock and realize it was 5pm and I had done absolutely nothing but stare at the endless posts on social media. While it is perfectly fine to take lazy days, trust me I do it all the time, I really found it was better for my mental health and overall well-being to implement a routine into my daily life while we are socially distancing at home.
I finally had that burst of energy to clean my room and finally put away that folded laundry from a week ago. I even realized that I started making healthier choices when it came to my eating habits. While this may not work for everyone, it definitely made me feel like I had some peace and happiness within my own surroundings. I really enjoy having a daily routine now and hopefully after reading this it inspires you to do something you enjoy in your home like bake, read, or play a board game with your family!