Lived Experience Forum

[Former-Member]

Meow,

Does anyone else find they need a routine/schedule to get through life? Dose it give you a feeling of calm to have everything organised? Do you have things in place to help if you can't do your routine due to things coming up you know about or things beyond your control.

I've just got through a week with my whole routine destroyed and every day schedule was changed numerous times and oh my I feel so sick. Like my head is literally hurting and I'm dizzy sleepy.

[Former-Member]

Oh what an awful week, @Former-Member. I wouldn’t have coped with that at all.

I try to control everything I possibly can so I am better placed to cope when things inevitably go wrong.

I hope the coming week will be a better one for you. 🐱

[Queenie]

I am a routine kind of girl myself @Former-Member. I can be flexible with my personal schedule, but I need to prepare for any disruptions well in advance (for example going on vacation). I also like to be control of my life as much as possible, long gone are the flying by the seat of my pants days. 

I hear you about not feeling well about your routine being disrupted and feeling sick from it. I spend literally hours sleeping when my routine is haphazard. It's like all I do shut down afterwards in order to regroup and recover.

Take it easy.

[Former-Member]

@Former-Member I literally just feel destroyed. And the annoying part is that it takes weeks for me to feel healthy and semi normal again. I am seeing the doctor this week though so hopefully he has some ideas how to help.

@Queenie I can be also flexible with my own personal schedule when I'm well and I'm the same about holidays and stuff trying to organise everything in advance as then I feel in control.

I wish this disruption made me sleepy. I'm so wired I'm not going to sleep at all.

[Neelix]

Hi @Former-Member. I was just reading your post and thought? is that like a diary for yr personal and work life?

I have a weekly activity schedule, a diary and a daily routine schedule. I suppose mine is for routine/structure but it is to assist me to focus. Which I guess it is all about that too.
It is to assist me to slot in 'coping' tools too. My days are hour by hour. It sounds pedantic I know.
I need visual prompts/cue's otherwise I can be swept up/ or freeze with 'hearing voices' or 'memory of trauma'. It has been working steadily. Tho I do get a little stressed filling it in and now I do it at the end of the day for the next day.
But I don't think that's what you are talking about in relation to your routine/schedule.
If I dont get something done in the hour I filled in I do try to do it in another part of the day. If I don't I say...aahh well there's always tomorrow. But a person can't do that for a job.
My routine does make me weary. I still dont sleep all night.

[Former-Member]

@Neelix hello. No I personally don't have a dairy but I do have a house schedule. Keeps me running more smooth. I like it because everything is planed.

That's a good idea having a diary on coping tools and that it helps you focus. I know me personally when I'm sick sick focus what is focus?

Nothing wrong with having hours scheduled in. Me personally when I do go on holidays to see my partners family I have every minute schedule with him to cope. I need to.

That's not good it's not helping you sleep at night.

[Neelix]

@Former-Member...is a weird word focus for me. My schedule's support me to complete things. If I do that then I can exercise my brain to focus on what I need to do to complete a days activities. The pyschologist says that I will start to recognise when I need to use a 'coping tool'.
It occurs to me the mind is a complex thing. It stores everything. So? its like
...do breathing for anxiety, do a activity, ground if I hear voices or have a memory, interact with others...whalla! ...ahhh nope ...skip the interact with others

It may appear and with other posts I have done that I am newly diagonised. But yeah nope. I am finding schedules do make me feel like I acheive.
It's good a schedule supports you to cope with your holiday. Do you still enjoy the holiday? soz if that sounds insensitive. Sometimes I sit back and think "did I enjoy that" or "did I just cope"...

[Former-Member]

@Neelix sounds like you got an amazing doctor. I have found it's really good to be able to know when you need to start using coping strategies. Oh I'm with you with skipping interaction with others at time lol!!!!

That's good the schedules are making you feel like your achieving things.

Yes the schedule helps me dramatically enjoy my holiday. I did one with no schedule and I ended up so ill. Like my holidays schedule is not to the minuet but just today is family BBQ day tomorrow is lay on the beach day. I don't feel like I'm on robot mood I feel like I'm in the moment having fun.

[Phoenix_Rising]

Hi @Former-Member,

I definitely find having a routine super helpful. I also love having a to-do list. I find it so satisfying crossing things off my to-do list. Sometimes when I'm super struggling, my to-do list might only consist of things such as get out of bed, have a shower, and get dressed. Some days just doing those things is a big achievement and the sense of satisfaction I get from crossing them off my list helps me to feel a tiny bit better and thus more able to do the next baby steps.

[Former-Member]

@Phoenix_Rising I fully get you on the bad days on goals of getting out of bed. It's so hard. My hardest thing to do is wash my hair. Got zero clue why lol. But I'm the same if I can do one of them when I'm really sick it's a big feeling of satisfaction.