Breaking habits and changing routines

 

Have I mentioned that the schools are closed this week for winter break?

Did you know that it’s currently snowing once again and I have an undetermined number of middle school boys (which means more than two but let’s not tell mommy in advance so she doesn’t start to freak) coming to the house today?

Oh, and did I tell you that modern technology is going to make actually speaking to people, even the people in your family who are in the next room, obsolete?

At least he asks for oatmeal for breakfast. I have done something right in life.

To tell you the truth, I am fine with these breaks from school.

I don’t mind deviating from the daily routine, not having to get my son up and out for school, no homework to deal with or after school activities.

Routine is a good thing most of the time. We raise our children with a routine which helps them understand time, structure and even gain some comfort from knowing what comes next.

We like that comfort even now as adults, don’t we?

I like knowing that I wake up early, my cup of coffee is waiting for me and that it’s pre-run breakfast time.

I like Pure Barre and running to happen right after I eat, showering as soon as I am done and eating (again) immediately after that.

I swear I could call it a day after my favorite morning routine is complete and it’s barely 9:00 am.

The thing about routine though is that it is directly related to forming habits and sometimes those habits need to be broken or adjusted.

For example, and this a bit personal but I like talking personal, when I first went through my divorce, I had a routine that needing breaking.

My husband always left for work super early in the morning so he would call me around 7:30 am during my English-muffin-with-peanut-butter-while-reading-the-newspaper breakfast time to catch up and chat.

Obviously we stopped chatting all sweet each morning because HELLO DIVORCE and that was really hard for me.

I was so used to the phone ringing while I was biting into the english muffin and flipping the pages of the sports section that suddenly breakfast time was making me really sad and that was just not okay.

I LOVE breakfast and I HATE being sad!

I realized I needed to adjust my morning routine immediately so I would stop looking for the phone to ring while eating breakfast.

I began eating breakfast on the couch (same english muffin with peanut butter because no one was about to ruin that experience) in our den while watching Noggin (I think it’s Nick Jr. now?) with my son.

I stopped reading the newspaper in the morning and saved it for later in the day. I was behind on the news yes, but that was okay.

It really helped. I broke the routine, changed things just enough that I got over that situation and habit real quick.

Right now I have determined that I have a new routine that needs to be changed.

It’s not just the gum chewing habit that’s the problem. It’s that I have come to expect to chew SOMETHING while browsing my phone in the evening or even using the computer.

I am on my computer all day long and all day long I am either drinking coffee, water or tea, eating oatmeal or lunch in front of the screen and sometimes snacks too.

I don’t want to sit there mindlessly feeling the need to move my jaw but if I am looking at the computer even after I have eaten in the evening, I start looking for food. Or gum.

I subconsciously associating using the computer or perusing my phone with needing to eat or chew.

One piece leads to two, then three…then the pack is gone.

Bad habit. Bad routine. Needs to change!

Do you have any routines or habits you feel you need to change?

Are you good about realizing it AND changing it?

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