This year feels a lot like swings and roundabouts when it comes to how things are going in my life. There are moments where I hold my breath and think to myself, “Things could finally be working out” and then the universe steps in with an industrial-sized frying pan and hits me in the face. This week feels like a frying pan to the face sorta week in case you’re wondering.

When you are feeling great and things are going well, maintaining positive, productive, and healthy habits can seem easy. This is because your stress levels are probably low, you are getting enough sleep, you feel good about where you are going in life, and you you’re probably eating good foods for your body. When things start to look like the second-half of the Titanic film, maintaining the things that are not only good for your body, but also your mind and soul can feel like Herculean tasks. I don’t always get things right for myself and I struggle with feeling good about myself especially in the low times, but I have learned something that helps me stay focused. Pick a routine and try to stick to it.

For me, it isn’t always about amazing feats or litres of green smoothies either. It is small simple steps that help me in my day and I thought I would share them with you.

• Shower every day – this helps you wake up, keeps you clean, and can give you a boost.
• Exercise – I don’t care if you walk around your streets for 15 minutes, but make sure you move. This is so unbelievably important for your body and mind.
• Go out of your house every day – It can be easy to be stuck, but make sure you go out every day. Even something as simple as buying milk.
• Eat real food – make sure you put a variety of foods into your body. It doesn’t have to be fancy either because a simple three veg and meat combo is already enough.
• Drink water – if you are exercising and going out of your house you are burning calories and sweating, which means you need water.
• Try to keep a sleep schedule – staying up late, getting up early, naps in the afternoon, and irregular sleep patterns aren’t great for your body. You end up giving yourself jet lag without the cool holiday stories to go with it. Make sure you try to sleep eight hours a night and have a regular sleep schedule where you wake up and go to bed roughly the same time every day.
• Reach out to people – try to talk to and/or see someone you are friends with every day. Even if it is a message or a quick call. Make time for people who love you. They will remind you of how great you are.
• Clean the house for 30mins every day – if you are going through rough times, the last thing you want to do is wash up dishes or pick up socks, but messy houses also don’t help you progress. Try to go around and clean your house for at least 30mins a day. You don’t even have to make your house look perfect. Just know that you have contributed to helping it be cleaner is a start.
• Let yourself have bad days – sometimes all of the aforementioned tips will feel like total garbage and you won’t want to do any of it. That is okay too. Have a break and start again tomorrow.
• Read a book each day – I don’t need to tell you how much I love books, but they aren’t just for nerds. Reading can help you get out of your head for a while. It can help you relax and de-stress. When you read books, there is also the possibility that you will see yourself and your experiences through other characters. This can help you work through emotions, understand things from a different perspective, and also make you feel like you are not alone.

Here are just a few ways that I try to use routines and rituals to build positive habits. What do you do to keep yourself healthy, strong, smart, and safe? As always, share the reading love.