Routine disruption and what to do about it

We’ve all been there. We have a great routine on rails, after working hard to get it to a place where it felt somewhat easy. Or maybe it’s still a challenge, but we’re doing the things that we committed to doing for our own well-being on a regular basis, without skipping or skimping. We feel good about it. And then… life happens. Sometimes it’s a planned vacation, sometimes it’s an unexpected interruption like a work trip or a family emergency and we are kicked out of our routines for a period of time. Often we are transported to a different location, and all of our usual cues and reminders are shifted in some way, or they totally disappear. Whether it’s something we know about ahead of time—a planned vacation or work trip—or a last minute trip or emergency, we can make a flexible plan for how we’ll handle the disruption to our routines and how we’ll get back on track when the normal cadence of life resumes. This is something that few of us ever do, but it can make all the difference between a temporary pause in routine and a full backslide to our pre-routine habits.

By not anticipating these disruptions, we are setting ourselves up to fail. When’s the last time your life followed your plans for more than a couple of months? For some of us, a couple of weeks without disruption is rare… Got kids? Caring for an elder? You probably understand the value of building routines that can weather life’s disruptions, just as you understand how unpredictable life can be and how uninterested it is in fitting into your plans and schedules. While you may bend over backwards to maintain others’ routines, it’s easy to forget to value and make time and space for your own. Is this something you would like to change?

Good. Let’s talk about what you can do to plan for life’s disruptions and get back on track with the routines that keep your life balanced and fulfilling.

Planning Ahead

First things first, if you can predict the disruption, think about what you can do before you head out that will help you ease back into your routines without as much effort. Is there any way you can easily bring your routines with you, or adapt them to your new context? If not, how can you support an easeful transition back to your routines when you’re ready?

Consider some of these options:

If you have a meditation or journaling practice, set up a corner of your space to invite you into the practice. Add blankets, throw pillows, candles, a mug ready to be filled with tea, and lay out your journal or altar at the center. Make this space a place that draws you in so that when you come home, it’s an invitation you’re happy to accept. Ideally you already have a special spot in your house that you use just for these activities. In that case, just the visual cue of that space will draw your body and mind back into the routine without much prompting. But if you can find a way to give it a little extra love and make it even more inviting for that first session back, it will feel like more of a gift to yourself than an item on the to-do list.

If you have a movement practice, adapt this invitation to your personal style of movement. Do you run or do yoga at home? Lay out your exercise clothes, a bottle to be filled with water, make a fun playlist that you’ll save for your first run back. Put a special treat or two out that will be your reward when you finish your routine. Write a note to yourself about how you feel today when you complete this routine and why it matters to you. Address the note to your future self and lay it next to your movement kit. If you are a gym goer, set up your gym bag in the same way, placing it in a prominent place you will see when you return. If you have a walking or hiking buddy, put your next walk or hike on the calendar before you head out. Prefer to go to classes? Find the next class after your return, put it on your calendar, and tell the instructor or someone in the class about your intention to attend.

What about food and nourishment routines? Vacation and unexpected trips often throw us out of our preferred patterns of self-nourishment. This is a big topic with lots of deep roots to explore, especially around food restriction and the many ways that can backfire during and after disruptions. For now, it’s important to acknowledge that each person’s context and situation is unique. But there are some things that anyone can do to make the return to routines much simpler. First, prepare to have non-perishable staples that meet your needs in the pantry before you go. Then, write out a grocery list of fresh foods to buy when you get home to kick start your food routines. If you’re someone who needs inspiration for what to make, gather 2-3 recipes that meet these criteria:

• you’ve made it before

• it’s not too complicated or time consuming

• it’s delicious and you know it

• it leaves you feeling vital and nourished

Print out the recipes and put them on the counter next to your grocery list and a couple of your re-usable grocery bags. Drop an encouraging note about how tasty this first week back is going to be, and you’ll be ready to hit the market upon your return. Of course, for the first day or two back, if you can plan to have something super easy (a frozen meal that just needs to be re-heated), you can ease back into your routine even more gracefully. You’ll thank your past self for the assist.

For those extra important or tricky routines, write out a routine revival plan. If you like, get a small notebook just for this! For meditation or journaling, make a plan for the first time you will revisit the routine—does this routine fit best into your mornings, afternoons, or evenings? Will you plan to unpack your bags and go to your meditation corner, or will you lay out a nice breakfast spread the next morning and journal with a bowl of fresh fruit and coffee? Think about what would be most inviting for you and write it out your routine revival plan. Do the same for all of your other key routines.

It can also be helpful to write down the fundamental “why” behind each of your routines. Remind yourself why these matter to you in the first place, and how you feel when you are in the groove with your routines. How are they serving you? How do they help you to embody your values?

When you head out, make sure your routine revival plan is placed somewhere prominent you will see when you first return home. If it feels right, offer yourself some gratitude for the ways you are honoring your needs and taking care of your whole self. And with that, you’re ready to go!

How to handle the unexpected disruptions

If you go back over the suggestions listed above you’ll notice that most of them can be prep’ed at any time. You can make a “disruption kit” to include most of this stuff in advance. Then, no matter what comes up you can pull out the kit, add whatever is needed at the last minute, and hit the road with very little effort whether the disruption was planned or not. In emergencies, your kit and/or routine revival plan is ready for you at any time.

It can be especially helpful to share your plan with an accountability buddy ahead of time. You can ask if they would be willing to check in (via text, email, phone call, etc.) on your routine revival plan at a time that would be convenient for you. In the case of unexpected disruptions, you can lay out the guidelines for if, how, and when to check in in a way that would be most supportive for you.

Remember, it’s key to connect and re-connect to the ways in which these routines are enabling you to live your life in alignment with your core values. Returning from unexpected disruptions can be a great time to review your wellness vision for inspiration. If at any point your routines feel like a punishment or something you “should” do but that aren’t genuinely supportive to your overall well-being, that’s a time to re-examine whether these routines are really serving you or if they need a change.

If you’ve worked with a coach to build or adjust any of these routines, schedule a coaching session when you return to help you kick start your routine revival plan and adjust anything that needs adjusting after any recent life changes. That supportive partnership can be just the ticket to re-energizing your commitment to yourself and your holistic well-being.

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