Setting up a morning routine when working from home for better mental health.
It can be difficult to get out of bed when you’re feeling depressed or anxious. The morning is usually the worst time of the day. It’s the dread of ‘What the day will hold’. Will it be a good day or will it be a bad day? You have no control over the outcome, however, the anxiety about the day is even worse than the actual day.
When I wasn’t feeling my best and my depression and anxiety were at a heightened level, the morning feeling of dread was super strong, it didn’t matter if it was a workday or a weekend, every day was a blur.
Usually, my anxiety peaked at lunchtime for some reason, and I was not able to eat. I tried to get my lunch down but could only manage a few bites. This was all happening while I was working from home during the pandemic. I was lucky that I could sleep in a little or lie down on the couch during my lunch break to recover from my panic attacks.
The feeling before a Zoom meeting was absolute dread and fear. I somehow managed a smiling face and put on my ‘Happy Maria’ mask to cover it up.
What I did learn during this process, especially as I was coming out of major depression and anxiety was that a routine is very important to me, especially when working from home. Secondly, I learned not to beat myself up if I didn’t follow the routine strictly, as this just made my anxiety worse.
I was lucky enough to receive support from Phil Wolffe who runs Kinex Health, Phil is an amazing holistic health coach for people and organisations looking to improve their mental and physical health.
Below are some of the things I learned from Phil about setting up a morning routine:
Set an alarm and stick to it. I even set the alarm on my old phone in the office so I could physically get out of bed. Tip: Don't trick your partner into turning it off for you.
Drinking lots of water in the morning is a great way to get hydrated and maintain healthy habits throughout the day. I was drinking too much water at night and needed to pee constantly which was not good for sleep.
Do something for ‘you’ in the morning. I used to just jump out of bed and get straight to work. Now that I set the alarm and get out of bed instantly, I have more ‘me’ time on my work-from-home days. I usually start the day with some stretches recommended by Phil and a relaxing yoga routine.
These techniques may seem simple, but they are easier said than done. It changes my mood when I try to include these in my morning routine. You don’t have to be into yoga or even do yoga if you don’t like it, your ‘me time’ could be reading in the morning, having your coffee on the balcony, or taking your dog for a walk. I highly recommend the drinking water part as this is essential 😉.
Look, it’s not a ‘perfect’ routine every day and I still have my days when I don’t want to get out of bed as you can't be expected to have perfect motivation every day, but don’t let that stop you as you still have the next day to try again.