I wrote earlier today about how making changes to one’s environment can be an important healing step for a single parent. As I was writing about different ways that sort of environmental change can make a difference in our being able to move forward, I started thinking about how shaking things up in general can be a really great thing…
It is amazing how slight shifts in routine and expectations can make such a big difference. Many of us experience this reality negatively when we discover that being 15 minutes late in getting out of bed in the morning can put us behind for the entire day! This slight shift in mixing things up can work in our favor, however, and it might not be necessary to make huge, drastic changes in order to create some flow and excitement in our lives. A little shift may be all we need.
How about having breakfast for dinner or vice versa? How about something as simple as getting a new haircut or new haircuts all around for the whole family? Instead of stressing to pick up your mail or groceries every night, why not do it in the morning or during the lunch hour? I know that routine and schedules are important but mixing things up now and again can be a great way to generate change and move out of one’s comfort zone without having to do something major.
I think that for those of us who have been through a separation or divorce, we may be tempted to try to keep things exactly the same (or as close to it) in terms of our schedules and routine after the divorce as before—when mixing things up and trying to come up with a new way to go about doing things might be what we really need.
Also: How Long Has it Been Since You Examined Your Home Environment?
Home and Family: Mixing it Up with Chores