Establishing A Routine
The overwhelming love, support, and well wishes that I have been receiving from everyone has been so encouraging. Today I wanted to write about some of the positive changes I have made to my life; mostly to remind myself how far I have already come, but if it is of any help to you that is a bonus! Parts of the changes took years of learning (which I’ll write about in a separate post), but the recent changes have been some tweaks and establishing a daily routine that has been super beneficial for me.
It takes about an average of 66 days or 9.5 weeks for a new behavior to become a habit. I have been on the current path for about 5.5 weeks, and re-established it in Philadelphia for the last 2.5 weeks. One thing I have learned is that a daily routine is a crucial step to managing mental illnesses that involve cycling of moods or depression. A daily routine consists of timely exercise, food, and sleep. As a graduate student I was able to maintain exercise, but my food and sleep suffered. Once you combine a mood disorder with PCOS and insulin resistance—a routine is absolutely important. The less decisions we make to maintain a healthy lifestyle, the easier it is to mentally deal with the unpredictability of life.
Establishing a routine is one of the main things I am focusing on during my medical leave. So here is what I have been up to for the last 3 weeks:
5:30 AM: My alarm goes off. I usually am already awake before then. I wake up around 5 AM. My window is south facing with the blinds raised. When I wake up it is dark outside. I see the sky lighten and the Philadelphia skyline light up and sparkle—one building at a time. I wake up to this beauty each day.
1 hr: I literally lay in bed and TikTok for an hour. TikTok has made me feel like I have a community, like there are other people out there that are going through the same things I am. While there are some negative comments, there is an overwhelming amount of support and positive responses. I have a few accounts that I follow that absolutely uplifts me every day.
6:30 AM: 20 minutes of Pranayam, or “Breathing Yoga”. My parents for many years have tried to get me to do this, but for some reason I couldn’t get into it, until I met a special someone in Philadelphia. Studies have shown (which as a scientist, I should cite) that Pranayam increases serotonin level in the brain, aiding in the stabilization of moods. Studies have shown that certain exercises, like Kapalbhathi, is really beneficial for those with PCOS. This I get done maybe 3 out of 7 days. I need to do better, it’s a work in progress. =)
6:55 AM: I’m out the door before 7 AM and I walk/jog to my gym which is about 1.8 miles away. And let me tell you—the walk is gorgeous. Philadelphia has its own unique charm that is unlike any other city. At that time, the city is just waking up. Surrounded by buildings that represent the very foundation of our country, juxtaposed with the vagrancy of fellow Philadelphians, is both simultaneously awe-inspiring and completely heartbreaking. The walk each morning helps me keep sight of the work I want to accomplish in life, and that I have the potential to bring about change. I will have to save those thoughts for another post.
7:30 AM: My gym time for 30 minutes. During this pandemic, before gyms opened up, I found myself getting more isolated and out of shape. I decided to virtually train with my trainer from back home over FaceTime. It gave me a connection with home, but also held me accountable for working out. We used bags of rice and math textbooks in book bags for a few months. Now that gyms in Philadelphia have opened up, I am back to my regular powerlifting training 5 days a week. I then walk back the 1.8 miles and try to get home before 8:30.
8:30 AM I make and eat a balanced breakfast. I will create a later post about my PCOS “diet”/lifestyle.
For the rest of the day I keep myself occupied with various tasks, including writing, reading, artwork, and a lot of cognitive therapy—most of which will eventually be replaced with work. The day is interspersed with snacks and timely meals.
The last thing, I think, is most important and key to managing the cycling of my moods.
8:00-8:30 PM I slow down and get ready for bed. By 8:30 PM I am in bed possibly watching TikToks again. The last thing I do is a 5 or 10 minute sleep meditation on my HeadSpace app, depending on how tired I already am. I have been doing this for about 5 weeks now, and I don’t remember a time where I remember the end of the meditation because I have fallen asleep. I try to consistently get 7-8 hours of sleep. Apparently I’m SUPPOSED to get 10 hours, but what adult does?