Mental Health: 1 - Morning List

Mental Health Articles from Ógra Shinn Féin UCD series

We received two responses this week. Both of the responses focused on writing things down as part of a morning routine. The first person spoke of how she liked to have a schedule for her day. By writing down small things she wanted to do, it gave her mind a focus. The completion of each goal for the day helps her to stay productive. This productivity helps her to feel positive about each day and during what seems to be the toughest lockdown yet, that is no small feat. Goal oriented approaches are a great way to stay positive but remember to make goals based on what you can control and be specific. 

Our second respondent read an article which gave him a morning routine which he now vouches for. It turns out we are biologically programmed to identify negativity and hone in on it. We search for the one bad review and fixate on the one mediocre exam result. We look back on recent mistakes or misbehaviours and make ourselves feel guilty. However, this routine really helped our second respondent. Every morning, he writes down the following:

I will let go of ………

I am grateful for………

I will focus on ………

And instantly he has a way of leaving yesterday’s mistake behind him, whether it be procrastination, a rude remark, or any other mishap. He accepts his failure and moves on from it. He also takes a moment to think about what is good in his life. This is easy at the start but over weeks it becomes more difficult. He started to notice smaller things in his life that he had never realised were important to him. Finally, similar to the first person, he writes down what he wants to focus on for the day – college work, exercise, social interaction, etc. This routine has allowed him to form a positive outlook on each day because he actively accepts life’s negativity and lets it go, he continually acknowledges life’s positivity and embraces it, and finally he gives his day a purpose. 

Both responses highlight routines that can help you to cope with these difficult times day by day. Of course, these routines will not fix everything. Everyone has bad days and everyone feels sad from time to time. There is no shame in that. Additionally, there is no guarantee that these routines will work for you and that is also okay, it’s important to keep trying. Finally, if anyone is having an extremely tough time and perhaps feels themselves spiralling into a very bad place, remember there is help all around you in the form of friends, family, teachers, colleagues and of course, there are support services you can reach out to. 

Better times are ahead.

Le Eoin Kenny