Friends, bear with me for a moment while I celebrate.
Winter is over.
It actually came to an end. The forecast for today, as I write this, is sixty-eight degrees here in Pennsylvania. And, is there anything better than the feeling of warm sunshine on your face after a long winter?
Ok, coffee and chocolate are definitely up there. But come on, we made it through a whole winter of the pandemic. Spring is finally here, which means good changes are coming. Only, with these changes, some of us may be experiencing an elevated level of stress. So much so, that celebrating spring may be hard to do.
Is there anything better than the feeling of warm sunshine on your face after a long winter?
If this is where you are, I want to tell you, I get it. Just saying the word “change” at times raises my anxiety. In the past, it has thrown my weekly routines off to the point where I’ve felt behind and overwhelmed. In really bad moments, I’ve become a person I don’t like very much. And even when I am undergoing a change I want, there is a big part of me that wants everything to stay the same, because,
Honestly, I like the status quo.
There’s something comforting about predictability. It’s reassuring to know “what” is expected of me “when.” And, it’s easier to focus when we’re able to create space in our schedules for practices that help us live into our values.
Change, however, seems to come in and blur all the lines. It shakes up our lives. It rocks our routines. Yes, it helps us grow and makes us better people. But it’s not comfortable.
That is why today, I want to share with you a surprising secret I am learning about facing life changes:
Our routines can help us undergo change.
If you’re tracking with me, I know it feels like a math problem that doesn’t compute. Change often seems to destroy our routines. But, if we’re doing them right, routines can actually make the changes in our life easier.
Over our years together, here on the blog, I’ve talked a lot about the importance of good habits. I’ve shared how to build healthy routines, and the secret to building routines that last. In other words, I believe in routines. But I also know, that with life change, our habits have to morph.
Recently, Tony and I have experienced some significant changes to our weekly schedule. Just as we were settling into the new one we created since we moved, something has happened that has thrown it all off. Only, unlike other seasons of change, it hasn’t thrown me off. Instead our old routines have given me direction in this time of transition.
Something has happened that has thrown our routines all off. Only, unlike other seasons of change, it hasn’t thrown me off.
Whether we realize it or not, our routines name what is most important to us. Though they can’t look the same when we inevitably face change in our lives, they can remind us of our values. Then help us figure out how to modify them to fit our new schedules. Not only that, but following a similar, but different, routine can bring us a sense of stability, in a season of change.
With this new transition in our lives,Tony and I’ve been able to look at our meal planning schedule, the days we work out, and our prayer time and identify what is most important about doing each of those things. Then, we’ve made the adjustments necessary to make sure the benefits of these healthy routines are still there, even though now the routines themselves look different.
So often we get caught up believing our routines are the goal themselves. When in reality, good and healthy habits should be about what they bring to our lives.
Friends, so often we get caught up believing our routines are the goal themselves. When in reality, good and healthy habits should be about what they bring to our lives—stronger bodies, more energy, mental and/or spiritual wellness, etc. If you’re facing a change this season and feeling overwhelmed about the way it will effect your weekly and/or daily schedule, take a moment to step back. Ask,
