Personal Development

Evening routines are an essential because, unlike morning routines, they set us up for two things: wrapping up our day and getting a good night’s sleep. By implementing evening routines, you will be able to tackle the morning in a smoother and more productive way.

While your morning routine sets you up for a productive day, you can also optimise your daily routines and how you spend your time during the workday. Rather than just reacting to what’s being thrown at you, productive workday habits and routines make sure you know and focus on your priorities, can block out distractions, and have a plan for getting back on track when things go awry (MacKay, 2019).

Many of us are busy, have a lot of responsibilities and obligations, and often feel strapped for time. Mornings set the tone for your day. Having a great morning routine can make all the difference in being productive, achieving goals, feeling organised, and doing all of this with confidence.

Work, paying bills, cleaning, cooking, shopping, exercising, getting enough sleep, and taking care of a family are just some of the things millions of people do each day, and it is easy to be overwhelmed. It can feel impossible to get everything done, let alone take care of yourself – especially if you’re already struggling with mental health concerns such as depression or anxiety. By creating routines, we organise our days in such a way that taking care of tasks and ourselves becomes a pattern that makes it easier to get things done without having to think hard about them (Mental Health America, 2020).

According to the Northwestern University of Medicine (2020) having a daily routine can greatly improve your health. People are creatures of habit, and routines offer a way to promote health and wellness through structure and organisation. Creating a routine allows us to build in time for the important things. This includes time to rest, relax, and have fun. A study by Tel Aviv University states that predictable, repetitive routines are calming and can help reduce anxiety. They can also help you take control of your day and subsequently, your life.

The American English Dictionary defines self-discovery as follows: “a becoming aware of one’s true potential, character, and motives.” The most significant adventure of our lives is discovering who we really are. So many people in our world feel overwhelmed, lonely, and unfulfilled. They feel empty because they have lost connection with themselves. Self-discovery is a journey in which we seek to fully understand ourselves, our values, our likes and dislikes, hobbies that interest us, characteristics that we value, and people with whom we want to surround ourselves.

According to Co-dependents Anonymous (CoDA), detachment is a conscious act of self-care. We choose to disengage emotionally from people and/or leave situations that could harm us. Detaching allows us to emotionally and/or physically separate ourselves from people, events, and places in order to gain a healthy, objective point of view. If we don’t like the behaviour of others, we can detach, recognising that we are separate from them with our own distinct identity and set of boundaries. We endeavour to detach with love and respect for ourselves and others, especially when detaching from family or friends. Even though we care, we remember that we are not responsible for other people’s behaviours, nor are they responsible for our well-being.

In our society, we are taught to find our happiness from external sources such as our job, wealth, fame, honour, power or a relationship. Only when we seek pleasure from these external sources alone, do we struggle to find acceptance and happiness.

According to Shepard (1979), self-acceptance is an individual’s satisfaction or happiness with oneself and is thought to be necessary for good mental health. Acknowledging and accepting one’s own strengths and weaknesses, as well as being willing to accept one’s own imperfections, are all prerequisites for self-acceptance. Self-acceptance is the ability to accept yourself as you are instead of how you wish you were, or how you wish others perceive you.

Self-acceptance is exactly what its name suggests: the state of complete acceptance of oneself. True self-acceptance is embracing who you are without any qualifications, conditions, or exceptions. This definition emphasises the importance of accepting all facets of the self. It is not enough to embrace what is good, valuable, or positive about yourself; in order to embody true self-acceptance, you must also embrace what is less desirable about yourself. If you’re thinking that accepting all the negative aspects of yourself sounds difficult—you’re not wrong! It’s not easy to accept the things that we desperately want to change about ourselves; however, it is only by truly accepting ourselves that we can begin the process of meaningful self-improvement.

The key to happiness is meeting our needs. Although co-dependents are very good at meeting the needs of other people, they struggle to take care of their own needs. They have problems identifying, expressing, and fulfilling their needs and wants. They may be very attuned to the needs and desires of other people, even anticipating them. They become so accustomed to accommodating others that they lose touch with their own needs and desires over time.

What if someone asks you, “Who are you?” The automatic response is to provide your name and occupation. You believe you have answered the question by providing your name and the nature of your work. Often the answer is not who you are but what you do. Many people struggle to answer the question “Who are you?” because they don’t know themselves. There is a deeper level of self-identity that is rooted in the truth of who you truly are, your authentic self. Your authentic self is the sum of all your skills, talents, and wisdom, and it extends beyond what you do for a living, what possessions you own, who you are to someone, or what you do for a living.