Self Care Tip #6: Form a Routine
Being Self-ish After Moving Back Home
Since moving back home, most things have changed about my life: I'm in a “new” place, working different hours, and have new responsibilities. So that calls for a new and improved routine. I have been working on being self-ish in an entirely different phase of my life which most definitely has not been easy.
I don’t know about you but I have learned, through the transitions out of school, that I don’t welcome change with open and loving arms. Moving furniture around in my bedroom as a child was one thing (I used to completely rearrange my heavy furniture in my room all alone just so things felt new and fresh), but leaving all I have known for the past 4 years hasn’t been all too fun and fresh.
Upon moving home I jumped right into work and family situations, and hadn’t fully moved all my things in. It probably took at least 2 weeks until I finally unpacked my suitcase and probably another week till I started to go through the 17 boxes and entire car full of stuff I shipped home. Personally, if the environment I am living in isn’t clean and organized I remain pretty anxious, so those first few weeks were a bit of a mess. Finally, once things started to begin to settle down I had some time and was in a better state of mind to get situated. I think part of me had a hard time unpacking and moving back in because I had the mindset that I would just be packing back up to move again shortly, so what is the point? Butttt the point is that even if I was only going to be here for a short amount of time I need to be comfortable and be able to enjoy an unpacked bedroom and not constantly be stressed. I didn’t need to completely unpack all the boxes because a majority of it is kitchen appliances and decor that I don’t need while I am home. I am keeping it all in storage so when it is time to move again, it shouldn’t be as much of a hassle.
So now that I was moved in and had a clean organized room to relax in I was able to start to decide what habits I wanted to include in my routine at home and how exactly I was going to execute them.
First of all one of the main reasons I was moving home was to help run the family business. As some of you may know, my family owns a few different businesses, so work is usually one of the most common topics in the house. We discussed this before I agreed to come home, that we would try our best to set boundaries and try to limit the business talk. I knew this was going to be difficult because quite honestly that is all we really do, but we have really worked on respecting each other's time and deciding when is or isn’t a good time to talk business. For example, personally waking up and starting my day off on a good note does not include waking up and hopping right on the computer or discussing finances. My parents are aware of this and allow me to enjoy my morning how I choose. Obviously, there are times were business talk is inevitable, but overall we all have really gotten better about being more aware of it.
What my current morning routine looks like.
Wake up between 6:30 and 7:30 depending on the day
Toss on workout clothes
Make my bed and straighten everything up, spray a little Eucalyptus room spray
Have a quick snack
Hit the gym for about an hour or so with Slick (My dad. Great gym buddy)
Eat breakfast and maybe enjoy a cup of coffee
Leave my phone upstairs and read for a little bit (Normally read a book that gets my head in the right mindset for the day. Currently reading Atomic Habits)
If the weather is decent I like to spend most of my morning outside before heading to work
After getting home from work around 8:30ish I usually eat (not an ideal time for dinner so I usually have something light), then we catch an episode of whatever we are watching (right now we are watching The Mick, which is absolutely hilarious). I only let myself watch one or two episodes because they are so easy to just zone in on and then “5 minutes” later you realize it's 12am and you ended up watching 6 instead… I like to be in bed before 10 pm. I make my room all cozy, turn on all my soft lights and spray some of my stress relief room spray. I journal a little, watch a few tiktoks to let my mind rest, and then I usually end up falling asleep reading (I normally read self-care books at night. Currently reading, When you are Ready. This is how you Heal.)
On workdays, this is pretty much the same routine. Groundhogs day basically. But on days when I don’t work a full day or get a day off I normally make plans to go out and do something or I just relax and catch up on other things I enjoy doing, like writing these blogs.
I have quickly learned that there aren’t nearly enough hours in the day to get everything that you want done, so it is extremely important that you prioritize your time and put yourself first.
Questions to ask yourself:
How do you like to start your day on a good note?
How do you destress before bed?
Do you like a set routine or are your days always different?
Is there anything you can do with your personal space to make it more relaxing to be in?
