Summer is (sadly) almost over. Kids are going back to school. You might be returning to the office. Like every fall, things are starting to change. But what does this mean for your routine? Does that have to change? Can it change? Routine and change actually go hand in hand. However, sometimes this relationship works and other times it doesn’t.
Before we talk about what to do when you feel like change is really impacting your routine, I want you to think about the following questions: How do I feel about change? And how can I turn change into an opportunity?
So, what do we do when change is impacting our day-to-day routine? We first must look at our mindset and how it’s impacting our ability to respond to the situation at hand. Mindset plays a huge role in the way we cope with life’s challenges (i.e not freaking out when your routine is totally flipped upside down) and can make change a little bit easier to deal with. It’s important to understand that there are two different types of mindset: fixed mindset and growth mindset. When it comes to change, we want to focus on having a growth mindset because this allows us to concentrate on the journey and appreciate the process (as hard as that might be). Being able to look at change as a learning experience makes it less overwhelming and easier to implement into our lives.
Yes, change is hard and doesn’t always come at the most ideal times in our lives, but how we deal with these changes is important. It’s also important to focus on what you need during a season of change. I’m sure you have a to-do list of things you’d like to get done in a day/week and during a season of change, it might just feel like you just don’t have enough hours in the day. You also might notice that you are neglecting your personal to-do list (cooking, self-care, movement, etc). Instead of getting frustrated, I want you to rank your to-do items from most important to least important. This will help you visualize the tasks that need to get done right away and help you realize what tasks can be completed at another time. Now I want you to do the same thing with your personal to-do list. That number one spot or the most important task on your personal to-do list is the one thing you focus on during this season of change. This allows you to be flexible and deal with the change while also focusing on something that fills your cup. As you get accustomed to your new routine more tasks from your personal to-do list will begin to fit in your life and things will be running smoothly once again.
I love this selection method because it takes the pressure off yourself to do everything on that personal to-do list (plus your regular to-do list) during a season of change. It’s also a reminder that you don’t have to be “perfect” every day. You can skip a workout, you can eat pizza for the third night in a row, and you can get that extra latte – life happens! What’s really important is that you give yourself grace during this time. Last, but not least, I want you to think about turning change into an opportunity. How can you turn the changes and challenges you are currently experiencing in this season into an opportunity?
If you are looking for more resources on how to balance health and life I encourage you to read my April post titled How to Balance Healthy Eating With a Lifestyle You Love.
