A year ago, I submitted an article discussing the importance of creating rhythm, rituals, and routines for children as they headed back to school. While these elements are crucial for kids, we often overlook how essential they are for all ages in managing stress. This concept is particularly critical for us as we head towards the election in November.
In the womb, we all developed in sync with our mother's heartbeat. Rhythm and predictability have been fundamental parts of our lives since the beginning. However, as we grow older, we tend to have less structure imposed on us. As newborns, we have feeding, nap, and bedtime routines. As children grow, we may relax on these routines because our bodies can internally create predictability. The issue arises when our external world is so unpredictable that it disrupts our internal world. In such situations, it's vital for us to return to basics: routines, rituals, and predictability.
Our external world has many unexpected things taking place, and our minds and bodies respond to what is, or can feel like, chaos. For some, this shows up in sleep disturbances, sickness, an increase in self-medicators (such as alcohol consumption), an increase in irritability towards others, social isolation, and burnout.
As we approach the upcoming months, especially with heightened tension in the political world, it is crucial for us to establish levels of predictability and consistency in the areas that we can control.
Limiting our time on social media is essential. Though we are social beings, social media can sometimes leave us feeling empty and anxious as we endlessly scroll for more. This can detract from our in-person relationships, leading to increased anxiety, feelings of isolation, and a cycle of dependence on social media. Social media developers designed the swipe down for more, knowing that this “more” would be like that of someone pulling the lever of the slot machine. With this comes a release of dopamine, the feel-good chemicals, and, as a result, we continue to swipe in hopes of getting more dopamine. Given the intensity and conflict surrounding political topics, it is necessary to significantly restrict our social media usage to effectively manage these stressors.
Establishing a predictable bedtime routine is also key. Many of us struggle to get enough sleep. Research from the National Institute of Mental Health and other health organizations shows that getting less than five hours of sleep per night can impact cognitive functioning to a level equivalent to being legally drunk. In this state, regulating emotions becomes challenging, tempers flare, and productivity decreases. Creating a consistent sleep hygiene routine, with set wake-up and bedtimes, is crucial for protecting our well-being. A way to improve your sleep hygiene is to store your phone in another room and not beside your bed. Research shows that keeping your cell phone in a different room from where you sleep will assist you in getting better quality and quantity of sleep. The studies show that those who sleep with their phone beside their bed will sleep lighter because we have programmed our brains to listen for the phone to ring or buzz.
Creating rhythm and predictability can be overwhelming at first, but here are a few simple ways to begin to create rhythm and routine:
I will go to bed at _________ and will wake up at _____________.
I will turn off electronics at _____________ each evening.
I will limit my social media scrolling to ___________ per day.
I will eat dinner at _______________ each night.
I will reach out to ________________ (name of person) on _____________(day of week) and ______________ (time).
While these small steps are not going to eliminate the stress, they will help to create rhythm and predictability to help us more successfully navigate unpredictable and chaotic times.
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