While certain changes are starting to happen to allow people to socialise a little more than before, not everything is “back to normal”. Depending on your circumstances, you may have had huge changes to your previous norm. You may have lost your job, you may have had to home-school your children or you simply stopped working out because your gym had to close.
But, as restrictions start to lift, so does feeling isolated. As we approach these new changes, there are a few things you can do to start getting back into your new/old routine yet again.
Plan Your Days
Everyones’ days are going to be different, which is why you will need to plan out what your day looks like to you. If you’re a parent, you may have a lot of responsibilities around school drop-off and pick-up, packing lunches and ensuring homework is completed. If you are going back to work after working from home, you may need to re-plan your commute. Or, if you’ve been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, your days may look like self-care and job seeking.
Whatever it is that you have on your plate, make sure you start each day with a plan. This is the first step to getting back into a routine and making things feel a little more normal once again.
Get Some Exercise
Hopefully, you’ll have kept up with some form of exercise over the past couple of months when in social isolation. But, you are certainly forgiven if you haven’t. Now is the perfect time to get back into your exercise routine.
Not only is it good for your physical wellbeing, but it will also do wonders for your mental health. With all of the stress around you in this difficult time, exercise could be the key to helping you feel a little more in control throughout this situation.
Don’t go straight back into your old routine if you have taken a break. It’s important to start off slow and ease back into your workout. The last thing you need to be doing is injuring yourself! Start with gentle exercises to give you some motivation to turn things up. You might start with extended walking or you might even start with a new activity such as yoga or meditation to help improve your health.
Assess Your Diet
It is very easy to fall into bad habits when in isolation. With an influx of cafes and restaurants offering delivery services, more people have turned to pub feeds and quick takeaway meals instead of cooking.
If you’re looking at getting back into a routine again, one way you can do this is by planning your meals. Whether you want to watch your calorie intake or you just don’t want to have to think about what you need to cook when you get home at night, planning ahead means you plan for success.
Not sure what to eat? There are now a number of different meal plans available for delivery straight to your home such as Lite n’ Easy and Hello Fresh. They can save you time, stress and a lot of effort, as well as reduce waste.
Give Yourself Time
It is going to take time to get used to new changes and new schedules all over again. The truth is, you need to be kind to yourself during these transition phases. It isn’t going to be easy every day and there will be times when you just don’t have the energy. This is a difficult and stressful time for many. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to re-adjust to new changes and practice self-care when you have the opportunity to do so. If you’re struggling mentally to get through any challenges, always reach out to friends, family, your doctor or a service such as Beyond Blue.