“What am I supposed to do besides work?”

“What is my worth now?"

“How will I make ends meet?”

As I write this; the United States federal government shutdown continues.  I’m sure this is a trying time for many families affected by this. Unfortunately, the times when our regular schedule is broken can also be an opportunity for anxiety and depressive thoughts to brew.

One thing we can do to counter this it to hold a daily schedule anyway!  If we continue to do the same things each day (as best we can), then our brain and our bodies can ‘predict’ what happens next and minimize any undue stress.

Draft the Schedule Sheet

Download this free template I made to use as your schedule!  Or, if you’d like to make your own; feel free to get a pen and some paper to create a schedule!  

Put the hours of the day at the left and a space to the right for what activity you plan to do during that time.

Write in the Basics

When do you want to wake up?

When do you want to take meals?

When do you want to go to bed?

Did you write these in? Great job!  If each meal time is an hour, you already have a few hours of your day scheduled!

What Do I Do with the Rest of the 13-15 Hours?

Short answer: whatever you want!  

Maybe you want to do crossword puzzles for an hour?  Maybe you’d like to write some poetry? Maybe you want to take a nap?  It doesn’t have to be anything grand, just to fill the time approximately the same way each day!

Chris, I tried the schedule and I missed a few!  I even messed this up!

That’s false.  If you did ONE thing on your schedule, then that’s one more thing you did than the day before!  Great job!

Remember, this is meant to be a tool to reduce anxiety and stress, not increase it.

I wish you all the best of luck during this time.  You are in my thoughts.

In optimism,

Chris

P.S. You may want to think about scheduling some ‘deep breathing’ sessions in there for good measure!