2020 has been a wild ride to say the least and it has definitely been hard to keep a sense of normalcy to life. Here are a list of 6 habits that help me keep my sanity.
Remember that these habits can be used even where there isn’t a pandemic taking over the world!
1.Have a set night routine. I will talk more about my night routine in another post, but I learned that having a night time routine that I stick to really helps me wind down and relax.
Now just because you have routine doesn’t mean that it has to be fancy, or time consuming. It can be as simple as taking off your makeup, and reading or writing in a journal for 30 minuets before you go to bed. I sometimes have to remind myself, that a night time routine is not an obligation, but a privilege.
2. Keeping in touch with my close friends. I am a weird mix of an introvert and an extrovert (maybe I should write a post about that as well, let me know what you think in the comments). I know that if left to my own devices I have the tendency to isolate myself and do my own thing. Now this isn’t a bad thing, I am just conscious of it because I know how much I also enjoy spending time and talking to friends.
3. I exercise! Thankfully my gym is back open now so I can lift weights, which is what I love to do. But when my gym was closed I took up jogging. Now hear me out, I hate running. I’ve always hated running, and I know that it will probably never be one of my favorite forms of exercise, but it felt so good to move my body. It felt so good to get that post workout high.
I know that a lot of people don’t enjoy exercise like I do, but there is a lot of science that shows exercise is good for your mental health.
Exercising doesn’t have to be running or lifting weights. Its about finding something that makes you feel good. It could be yoga, swimming, or having a dance party.
4. I read my Bible. Life can be really stressful, my favorite way to stop worry is to read my Bible and remind myself of God’s promises to us. For me, when I sit down and read the word of God I almost instantly start to feel a sense of peace. I am able to focus on God, and his teachings, and how He wants me to live.
5. I journal or talk it out. If you are anything like me, you have to sit and talk through your feelings or write them down before you can process them. I am blessed to have an amazing friend who really understands me and lets me talk things through with her. I know that she is not going to judge me, and we have a “no last straw” type of friendship. If there is something that I am having a hard time articulating how I feel, I find it helpful to write everything down. I will do a “brain dump” and just write everything that is on my mind.
6. I give it God, and let it go. There is only so much we can control. We are not made to carry the weight of the world, we are not made to carry other peoples burdens, or even our own sometimes. Jesus died on the cross to save us. There are a lot of BIG things I just had to give to God and let it go, because at the end of the day God loves us, and He wants to help us.
Jocelyn Taylor 