The Simple Power of Schedule
We are in a global pandemic. Yay (...typed with sarcastic humor).
Which means we are in a global trauma…
And by trauma, I mean any experience that threatens our stability, security, and/or safety in key areas of life (e..g, spiritual, physical, psychological, relational, vocational, financial, environmental, etc.).
Many people are talking about prospering and thriving during this season. I love it. Thriving is important to us at The Well Clinic. But you are going to have a difficult time thriving when your stability, security, and/or safety is threatened.
A first, very important step towards stability is to establish healthy rhythms in life to the degree that we can. Healthy life rhythms are patterns of living that promote stability and health.
For the purpose of this blog, I want to give you one simple way to move towards healthy rhythms: schedule.
A good schedule is like a super-power. It keeps us on track and serves as guardrails to keep us from drifting into the chaos of a moment. And boy do we need guardrails in this COVID-19 season!
A schedule is simple enough. Search on-line for a schedule you like and will use. They are easy to find. While getting a schedule is easy, what to include in the schedule can feel overwhelming. So, read on for some key areas to include in your new schedule.
1.Schedule spiritual activities of prayer, worship, and Scripture reading
This can be reading the verse for the day and meditating on it. Listen to one worship song and thank God that He is with us. Schedule it. 5 minutes. 10 minutes. It does not have to be long. It just needs to be sustainable.
2. Schedule exercise
Take care of your physical body during this season. Something is better than nothing! Remember, what you do just needs to be sustainable. Type in “HIIT for home” in an online search and see what comes up; social media has a lot of free resources currently also. I personally have been enjoying Street Parking workouts.
3. Vocational and educational hours need to have boundaries
If you are working, limit your hours to a normal workday. With school, schedule in the same amount of hours that you would study if you were attending classes in person. Scheduling buffers you from working too much or not enough.
4. Fun
Yes. Schedule fun. We must do things we enjoy (that are healthy of course). When we allow ourselves to enjoy someone and something, it gives our brains a break from focusing and allows time for our brains to integrate what we are learning.
5. Schedule rest and alone time
Rest is anything that helps you cease from striving. What is that for you? The alone time helps us rest from constant interaction if you are with family, especially children. Have a reading time, nap time, art time, etc., where everyone spends time alone.
In the alone time, plan on activities that help strengthen your emotional health. Regulating emotion is one of the most powerful ways to build emotional maturity. Deep breathing is a great way to do this. In fact, I recommend downloading The Breathing App for help. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-breathing-app/id1285982210
6. Schedule connection
I know that emphasis has been social distancing, but I would argue that is physical distancing. You do not want to socially isolate yourself. Isolation is associated with all sorts of gnarly consequences: illness, depression, etc. Talk with people daily, connect in ways that are meaningful to you. I was just on the phone with a couple who scheduled game nights with family over Zoom. Creative and they had a blast.
We hope this helps you in this season. The information may scratch the surface but it will get you started. We have already been writing and talking about healthy rhythms: what they are and how to do them.
For more information, see www.mywellclinic.com/rhythms and use the discount code HEALTH49.
For questions, give us a call [225-692-4113]. One of our clinicians can help you out. We also have tons of free resources on our website www.mywellclinic.com and on our Facebook page.