Routines for Resilience

Chances are, you repeat many habits every day without thinking about them: going to bed after the sun sets, taking a shower in the morning, and packing yourself a lunch for work. These are known as “primary routines,” or routines around sleep, diet, and hygiene that are essential to human functioning.

Secondary routines, like leisure, socializing, exercise, work, and studying, help to support our mental health and give meaning to our daily lives. Regular repetition of a routine can help develop it into a habit, an action to which you’re so accustomed that it becomes almost involuntary.

What can routine do for you?

Routines sometimes get a bad rap in cultural discourse, particularly as we age. We’re told that we shouldn’t allow ourselves to get stuck in a “rut”; however, most people find that some degree of structure in their lives allows them to flourish.

“‘Shaking things up’ has a free-spirited connotation, while routine definitely does not,” says Stephanie Davis, registered clinical counsellor, certified organizational coach, and owner of Shoreline Counselling in Metro Vancouver. “However, what we know about human beings is that we thrive in conditions that are predictable and familiar.”

She explains that routines help people reduce anxiety by being able to predict what their days and weeks will look like. In turn, reducing anxiety over our life’s structure can help free up access to our prefrontal cortex, the part of our brain that allows us to think logically. Curbing anxiety also helps us stay within what Davis calls our “window of tolerance”—the range in which we’re optimally able to be connected to, tolerate, and manage our emotional experience.

Feel the rhythm, your way

Routines can support you emotionally, physically, and mentally. Simple swaps, like walking to work when it’s nice out instead of driving, can help you get your steps in and may reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Morning routines, like having a cold shower, drinking a glass of water upon waking, and getting some sunlight, can boost energy levels and improve overall health. Integrating routines into your workday, like stretching every hour, or having a cup of herbal tea after lunch, can help you to improve emotional regulation and find meaning in your day. Studies also show that regular self-care routines may even improve health outcomes for older adults suffering from chronic illness. Davis says many of her clients build routines around creative activities, like reading, meditation, art, and music, as a way of feeling more embodied and present. She also notes that clients use more practical routines, like meal prepping, to reduce decision-making fatigue and feelings of uncertainty.

Sync with nature

Building routines also offer a way to connect more deeply with nature, which is associated with positive mental health benefits. Learn about Indigenous perspectives on seasonality, which call for us to connect with the landscapes around us; eat local, seasonal foods; and embrace the changing of the seasons.

Try intentionally structuring your day around the movement of the sun: waking to catch its first morning rays, using its high-noon position as a cue to do some midday movement, and limiting access to screens once it has dipped below the horizon.

Give yourself grace

While implementing new routines can be exciting, go easy on yourself. “When we set ourselves up with too lofty a goal for a new routine and then give up, that can make us feel like a failure,” says Davis. She recommends taking small steps toward starting something new.

For example, if you don’t currently have a gym habit but are hoping to start exercising 4 or 5 days a week, try just getting there once or twice for the first month or so—and don’t beat yourself up if something gets in the way of attendance. Davis says it’s best not to be married to a particular routine or outcome, so that you’re able to assess when something isn’t working out and make tweaks as needed.

While it can be enticing to envision ourselves waking up before dawn to write a Murakami-worthy novel, remember to respect your body’s biological boundaries. If you’re naturally a night owl, implementing an early-morning routine may not last long. Aim for a routine that, above all, feels sustainable.

Finally, don’t be afraid to shake things up if you feel a routine is no longer serving you. “Sometimes a change can be forced on us by a change in life circumstances, sometimes by choice,” says Davis. “This can be an opportunity for an audit of how routines have best served you in the past, and how new ones can bring some familiarity to a new situation.”

This article was originally published in the October 2025 issue of alive magazine.