A SMOOTH RETURN TO YOUR ROUTINE

Summer vacations often let us forget about routines – we go to bed later and sleep in. We’re often busy with activities away from home as well, which is wonderful as we to take time off to slow down and focus on enjoyable quality family time. These routine breaks are great because during the rest of the year we’re preoccupied with getting ready for work, getting the kids dressed, preparing lunches, grabbing breakfast, commuting in traffic, picking up the kids, being their taxi, cooking supper and shopping for groceries, etc. Vacations are a luxury that does us all a world of good! However, when they’re over, it’s a good idea to think right away about getting back into the routine – it helps both the young ones and the adults. The earlier you start planning, the smoother the transition will be.

BACK TO SCHOOL

A regular pattern is very important for children. The routine that parents establish is not just vital, it’s extremely reassuring for them. Often challenged and defied, the importance of the parents’ limits and framework are usually quickly understood by children. Sometimes easy and sometimes difficult, routines vary from one household to another. What’s important is to make everything clear to children so they know how abide by the rules. To make the transition back to school easier, here are some easy steps to follow with your children:

• Create a family calendar and put it at your kids’ disposal. Whether the formats are fridge magnets, a chart etc., the calendar may include morning and evening routines, the kids’ chores, rewards, family activities and weekend plans. This helps children position themselves and understand their routines.
• Make sure that all required school supplies are bought before the back-to-school wave of shoppers takes over the stores. This way, you’ll save on time and stress.
• Pay close attention to your child’s sleeping habits. Making sure they get enough sleep to avoid extra stress as they get back to school. The more sleep they get, the easier it is to recover and adapt to changes.

BACK TO WORK

Getting back to work after your family vacation might feel difficult. In fact, just like the children’s routine, we must modify our own to make the return to work nice and smooth. If you’re like me, you must be looking forward to seeing our colleagues again, yes still, some of us don’t like the idea of going back to work at all. Here are some tips to make life easier:

• Shop for necessary groceries and run your errands in advance. Accomplishing all these tasks will help you kickstart your productivity at work. However, don’t stress yourself too much as housecleaning and chores don’t have to be done all in one day. Focus on your priorities: work and adaption.
• Keep the vacation vibe going, even after they’re over. Enjoy a nice evening drink on a terrace or watch a movie. This will smoothen your back-to-work transition and you’ll feel like part of you is still on vacation. Use your weekends to go on mini-vacations as a little getaway might be exactly what you need.
• Just like the younglings, you can greatly benefit from a regular sleep pattern. Allow yourself for a longer sleep; this way you can recover and adapt better to your work-life balance.
• Eat outdoors whenever the weather permits. This way, the sudden end of vacations won’t feel so abrupt as you’re still spending time in the sun.

Basically, once the summer vacation’s over, little tips like these allow for a smoother transition to routines. What’s important as much for adults as for kids, is to adopt a regular sleeping pattern to easily adapt to whatever changes are ahead. We have a multitude of natural health products to assist you in this process. Check out the Sleep & Stress category on our website, where you’ll find the right products to help you relax and sleep better. Should you have any question or require advice, simply click on the chat button at the bottom of the page to speak to our naturopath.