finding your best self as we tread these unknown waters: create your new routine

Have any of you tried practicing daily gratitude, focusing on the positive or those breathing exercises I have previously mentioned? I would love to hear your feedback on what you think of these techniques! 

One of the biggest struggles the King household has had during this time is finding our new ROUTINE

If you remember from the first blog, I hinted I would come back to this. We as humans thrive with routine. I know our normal routines have been totally disrupted. It is like a winter break or summer break for which we did not have time to prepare.  

My very first recommendation for this new, temporary, way of life is to figure out a routine that works best for you and your family. 

#1 make a new routine - Make this a family experience. 

One tool that I like to use is from the American Academy of Pediatrics website HealthyChildren.org. Under the family life section there is a media tab. Within this section there are 2 interactive documents: a screen time calculator and a family media plan. 

I like this screen time calculator because it is a way for a child and parent to plan how to use their time. The recommended hours for sleep and the recommended 1 hour of physical activity are auto-populated and then the child and parent can determine how much time they need for personal care, reading, family time, chores, homework, etc. 

The second tool is a family media use plan. We all recognize that in these times the 2 hour screen time for recreation/ personal use may be too much of a challenge. I will discuss this in a future post. Remember that one of the key principles is making the electronics family interactive or socially interactive and not isolating. We are finding our new normal and this document gives the family food for thought surrounding boundaries and family rules/ expectations with media/ electronics.

I find that when we do not have a routine or a schedule there is more time lost aimlessly to electronics then I would like. Have you even started scrolling Facebook or Twitter and BAM- where did that 15 minutes go? Putting in a schedule puts YOU IN CONTROL of your time. YOU are choosing how to spend that time intentionally. Now some of you may want a schedule in 30 minute blocks while others may do well with a general outline. However, the basic principles are:

 #1 Wake up each day about the same time, shift out of sleepwear to mentally prepare for the day, wash your face, brush your teeth and set a goal to accomplish for the day. 

#2 In the evenings, aim to go to bed at around the same time each night within a 2 hour window.

There are plenty of schedule templates at your fingertips online and I know I recently explored the ones on Khan Academy to plan how I can structure our now “homeschool” days. Remember, it can be as detailed or as general as you would like, whatever works for you and your family!

As always - stay safe, stay healthy, be active and WASH THOSE HANDS!