Welcome To A Break In The Routine

Because on  Wednesdays we wear pink...

I am a creature of habit. This is a fact, not an opinion. I won't get too much into my weekly routine because this is the Internet and I have no idea who is reading this blog. However I do have a few habits. For example, I hit my alarm clock snooze button three times before actually rolling out of bed. As soon as I get to my office, I turn on my laptop and then go and get my first cup of coffee. On Sunday I go to the farmers market.

We all have our quirks.

So any break in my routine will throw me off. Daylight savings time is the worst offender of this change. For about a month after the changes, I'm really confused as to what time it is. It might be 9pm as I write this, but I feel like it's 10pm and should be fast asleep. It's also really confusing leaving work when it's pitch black outside instead of as the sun is setting.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has these issues and I do welcome change. A disruption allows me to be flexible and learn to deal with change without freaking out (it's not a major life change).

This week, I had a major break in my routine. I had Veterans Day off. I had never had this day off before and the fact that it took place on a Wednesday really through me for a loop. When I came back to work on Thursday, one of my friends and I noticed how much it felt like a Monday. Which lead me to be even more confused when I woke up on Saturday.

Now that it's Sunday, I am still working around the fact that I have to go to work tomorrow. I would rather sleep in an extra day, but that's not in the cards (or at least not for so called adult people).

How do I deal with these breaks in routine? Well, I usually have enough warning to get ready for the disruption. I try to keep my weekend and vacation routine similar to my weekday routine (I wish I could sleep past 8am, but alas I can't).

What about those days that I can't plan for? Usually my first response is to freak out. I'm stubborn like that. I hate any sort of change that I can't account for at least a week in advance. My next response is to calm down and assess the situation. I can calm myself down any number of ways from calling someone to talk it out to practicing meditation breath. One of my yoga teachers even recommends standing on one foot to make a quick decision (I haven't tried this one yet).

 Routines are familiar, safe and something I can control. However, life isn't safe, it's not something I can control, and as I keep moving forward, I am constantly put into situations that I haven't encountered before. A break in my routine can be welcoming. It can also freak me out. That's life. I sometimes think that it's the small stuff, the small everyday choices, that snowball into huge changes and are easier to deal with one small step at a time.

If only that was how all changes were presented. I don't know exactly what's going to happen tomorrow, but I take a guess that I'll still hit my snooze button at least three times before rolling out of bed.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Until next week.