How to establish a routine

If you work from home or have new working hours, your sleeping habits might have changed – perhaps you’re going to bed later or struggling to get up in the morning. If you’re feeling anxious or stressed (e.g. about the cost of living), you might have trouble falling asleep or even experience vivid dreams.

Here are some tips to help you get your sleep back on track:

• Start a sleep diary – for seven days, write down when you go to sleep, what time you wake up and how energised you feel during the day
• Prepare for sleep – an hour before bed, start to unwind and detach from the day (put down your tech and read a book or listen to some soothing music instead)
• Learn the tricks of the trade – to transform your sleep habits and ease the racing mind, take some time to learn more about sleep and why it’s so important

There are lots of free resources on Good Thinking to help you sleep better, including a comprehensive Sleep Workbook and free NHS-approved apps.

What do you really love doing? Include things in your daily routine that help you to feel calmer and make you smile. Try to factor in time for being active too, as this can help with your mental wellbeing. Enjoyable activities might include:

• Watching your favourite TV programme
• Going for a walk, run or bike ride
• Listening to a podcast
• Cooking a healthy meal
• Taking photos or making videos for your social media

Don’t forget to include all the new activities you discovered during lockdown, like those family walks in the park and Zoom calls with friends. Although the last few years have been difficult in many ways, you might have made some positive changes in your life that have improved your mental health. This is a great opportunity to decide what works for you and leave behind the things that don’t.

Check out the free My Possible Self app, which tracks how you feel every day and highlights activities, places and people that influence your mood, so you can focus on the things that make you feel great and do less of the things that don’t.

Getting organised can help you to feel on top of things and be more disciplined about your routine. Grab your phone or a piece of paper and make a note of your goals for the coming weeks and months and what you need to include in your daily/weekly routine in order to achieve them.

• Think about your ‘big picture’ goals then break them down into do-able tasks – the best goals to start with are small and a little challenging
• Review your list of goals regularly (e.g. at the end of each day or once a week)
• Keep a journal so you can track your progress
• Tick off any achievements to help you stay motivated
• Once you’ve met a goal, make it a little more challenging next time
• Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to have a huge ‘to do’ list – keep things simple and achievable
• Write it down now... not tomorrow!

Read Good Thinking’s advice about how to develop a healthy new habit, which includes a useful technique that increases the chances you’ll stick to something new.