WHY DID I COME INTO THIS ROOM?
Last week, the East Coast lost power as the result of Storm Alfred. Some of us were without electricity for 10 days or more. We initially felt power-less! Our routines were broken. We like routine. We need routine. Order, sameness, procedure, and repetition give us a sense of grounding. Without routine, we felt stressed, had difficulty focusing on normal life, and uncomfortable. Why did I come into this room? Spacey, confused, and kabobbled!
We typically get up at the same time everyday. When we take a shower, we wash our body parts in the same order without thinking. We drive to work on the same roads, even though there may be other routes. We eat at the same times, watch TV or read in the evenings before going to bed at the same time.
When there is routine, there is less thinking. The left-brain takes a rest while we operate on automatic. But when routine is broken, the left-brain becomes very tired and stressed. We actually had to think about life in a new way. Without electricity, awake and sleep times were altered. Many of my patients said they hadn’t slept so many hours in years as a result of going to bed earlier!
“No TV, no lights, no books, no computer, nothing to do!”
Everyone was exhausted from the stress of having to think. Where will I eat? How will I stay warm? How will I sleep? Our basic needs were unmet until we adapted, until we created a new routine!
So I created a new routine by trial and error. Every morning I went to Starbucks with my surge protector to charge my laptop, iPhone, and NookBook. I learned the least crowded time to go was mid-morning so I could get a seat and a plug without a huge line!
I learned to take a power strip so I could charge 3 things at once. Then I would work. (My patients and I wore coats and hats!) At the end of the day, I would light a fire and have dinner (take out or cooked in the fireplace!), or I would meet friends for dinner just to feel the warmth and normalcy of life with power. Bedtime was earlier, comfortably warm under a real featherbed. Repeat for 10 days. After about the 4th day, I had a new routine and felt my stress fade! Adaptation is really another word for creating a new routine!
So remember, we are “creatures of habit,” which explains why even vacations can be stressful! Minimize your stress level by creating well-paced well-balanced routines.
And maybe, we all learned that we’re a little too dependent on our electronic toys. Could we possibly talk to each other instead?
MY NEW BRUNSWICK HEROES WHO RESTORED MY POWER!
LIFE GOES ON©
Kathleen Cairns, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in West Hartford, Connecticut. She works with adults, adolescents, and couples. You may call her at 860-236-5555 to make an appointment. She is the author of “The Psychotherapy Workbook.” You may email her at kathleen.cairns@mac.com and she will try to answer as many of your questions as possible.
www.kathleencairns.com
Life goes on… and every day matters…
