The Writing and Photography Blog of Kevin J Sabo

I think one of the largest reasons I have managed to keep myself going despite everything that has gone on recently can be summed up in one word: routine.

Normally when I start struggling, my routine is one of the first things to go, which sends me careening over the edge of the proverbial cliff so much faster.

The difference between this time and previously is even with everything going on -the pandemic, losing Sirius, school, etc- I have been able to maintain a consist routine.

Granted, I’m sleeping in later than I would care to because I don’t have an alarm set, but my everything from wakeup to bed time is fairly consistent.

Lately my days have seen me getting up around 9:30 or 10, coffee and breakfast, working in the office until lunch, either workout or office after lunch again, then supper around 5:30, a couple hours of television with Lynn, then heading to bed in between 10 and 11.

One of the key things with this routine, and one of the biggest reasons my mental health slide hasn’t gotten worse this time around is because of this consistency. Being totally honest, when I get burned out, start struggling and end up in hospital, the reason I do so well, and bounce back so fast is because of the structure in place in hospital.

Being able to set up a structured routine at home, even with everything going on -I feel- has allowed me to bypass the hospital step and start bouncing back, which is further sign of the progress I’ve made. Yes, I’ve had medication changes and continued with an increased level of therapy through all this, but the routine is as important.

I can’t say that I will never end up in hospital again, however getting through the last couple weeks the way that I have definitely gives me hope for the future.

Kevin