People Who Become Obsessed With Their Daily Routines As They Get Older Usually Have These 11 Reasons
Getting older makes routines feel more like survival tools.
Roman Samborskyi | Shutterstock Who doesn’t love a good routine? Whether it’s for the morning, night, or somewhere in between, routines can keep us on track and on schedule while also helping us feel like we’re accomplishing important tasks. Usually, people tend to cling to these routines as they get older. After all, a student probably isn’t going to establish a strict morning routine, but someone who has entered the workforce might find it more necessary.
Routines aren’t just something people hold onto so they can stay on track. They also have serious health benefits. Psychiatric nurse practitioner Cheryl Beutell, APRN, from Northwestern Medicine, explained, “As clinicians, we want you to find ways to make routines that support better health. If you eat healthy and take care of yourself, you may find some peace of mind.” There are plenty of reasons why someone might become obsessed with their routines, especially as they get older.
People who become obsessed with their daily routines as they get older usually have these 11 reasons:
1. It helps them stay healthy
Evgeny Atamanenko | Shutterstock
One of the biggest benefits of daily routines, and therefore one of the reasons why people are most likely to become obsessed with their own, is that it keeps them healthy. Whether your routine includes physical activity, cooking a healthy meal, or even doing something like a daily crossword to keep your mind sharp, there’s a good chance that your routines are making you healthier. Even the simple act of doing your skincare keeps your skin healthy, if you think about it.
An article published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine addressed just how good routines can be for your health. “A healthy lifestyle includes habitual consumption of nutritious foods, regular physical activity, and consistent sleep,” the authors noted. Fitting these habits into your day regularly means you are creating a routine — and not just any routine, but one that benefits your health.
The little steps that are a part of your daily routines may not seem like that big of a deal, but when you put them all together, they add up to become health-sustaining habits. Whether you’re trying to improve your physical or mental health, daily routines contribute to that. That’s what makes them so easy to become obsessed with, especially as you get older and come to understand just how important these things are.
2. It gives them a sense of control
PeopleImages | Shutterstock
Have you ever had that horrible feeling when you realize everything in the world is so out of your control, and you desperately try to cling to anything you can control? That’s where daily routines come in. In a world that is truly out of our control, it feels good to have something you are in control of, and that stability can come from solid daily routines. We all crave something we can depend on, and oddly enough, you can find that in daily routines.
Health and wellness writer Emma Dibdin explained that it’s normal to crave a sense of control in a world where we have control over very little. “A persistent desire or need for control may be linked to difficulty accepting uncertainty,” she said. “By trying to exert control over every aspect of a situation, you may be trying to create a sense of security and predictability.”
You might open the news app of your choice and feel your breath hitch as you prepare for whatever the latest insanity in the world is. You have no control over that. But you can set your alarm, wake up on time, meditate, exercise, journal, or do whatever it is that works best for you. As people get older, they come to realize that controlling what they can has serious value.
3. It keeps uncomfortable changes to a minimum
Inside Creative House | Shutterstock
Change is a hard thing to accept at any age or stage in life, but it becomes even more difficult as you get older. The more time you spend getting used to the way things are, the harder it is for it to switch up on you. Daily routines are built-in ways to keep some things in your life the same for as long as you choose to keep them that way. It really goes back to being in control — if you want your routines to change, you can make that choice, but no one can make it for you.
Australia’s Finley Regional Care noted, “Our attitude to change depends very much on whether we initiated the change or whether it was thrust upon us by circumstances outside our control … And at older ages, many of our major life decisions have already been made, so the changes that occur tend to be ones not of our choosing.”
When fast changes are hitting someone who’s older, like receiving new health diagnoses or finding out they can no longer care for themselves in their home, simple daily routines can help center them and remind them that some things will never change, or at least won’t change without their choosing. This can be very reassuring and encouraging when life feels like it’s the exact opposite.
4. It saves them money
PeopleImages | Shutterstock
Really, it may seem counterintuitive that routines would save money. If someone is paying for a gym membership or a meditation app, that’s going to cost money. However, if you have a routine that keeps you close to home, it might actually save you some money. For example, if you have a routine of making breakfast at home and you make your morning coffee with it, then you’re saving the money you would have spent on ordering coffee from a local shop.
It may seem like these small amounts of money aren’t going to do much to benefit you, but they add up over time. The FDIC Consumer News stated just how important this can be. “If specific goals seem out of reach for you, any amount you can put in savings will help provide a cushion against future financial hard times or big purchases,” they said. “Even if you do not make a big salary or have a steady source of income, the combination of consistently adding to savings and the compounding of interest can bring dramatic results over time.”
Daily routines that you stick to can help you save small amounts of money here and there. Every little bit counts, and that money could be used in your routine differently. If you save your money on that morning coffee, you could then put what you saved toward a weekly dinner out with friends. Maybe one part of your routine will help pay for another.
5. It makes them feel productive
Julia Zavalishina | Shutterstock
Probably one of the biggest reasons we tend to stick to routines is that they make us feel productive. If we have goals we want to meet every day, actually doing those things and being able to check them off our to-do list, either metaphorically or literally, gives us an instant boost. If you’re getting older, you may be taking on fewer responsibilities at work or retiring, meaning you won’t have that aspect of your life to help you feel productive anymore. You can still find that comfort in your daily routines.
Psychosocial rehabilitation specialist Kendra Cherry, MSEd, explained that by being productive, you actually create a positive cycle that just serves to make you healthier. “People who are healthy and happy also tend to be more productive,” she said. “They get more sleep, eat healthier foods, and take time for themselves regularly. This helps them stay energized and focused throughout the day. And when you’re healthy and happy, you can achieve even more.”
This goes back to the fact that sticking to routines makes someone healthier. Productivity is a part of that. It helps you achieve your healthy goals, which prepares you to do even more. Some people crave productivity more than others, but wherever you fall on the subject, there are still untold benefits to being productive.
6. It takes less mental energy
fizkes | Shutterstock
The great thing about routines is that you don’t really have to work to remember them or think about what you should do next. Instead, they just flow naturally. This can be a huge benefit for people when they get older because their cognitive functioning tends to begin to decline. A study published in Seminars in Hearing confirmed this, stating, “A variety of factors can cause cumulative damage to the brain with age and produce cognitive impairments.”
Routines really just make life simpler. In the article published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, researchers said, “Although there are multiple strategies to form a routine, an important one is to help patients develop a structure to their day such that fewer decisions need to be made.” And things like this are easy to remember, as the researchers from the Seminars in Hearing study said. “Procedural memories, such as remembering how to play the piano or ride a bike, are preserved with age,” they noted.
Things you’ve gotten into the habit of doing are just easier to remember, if you can really even call it remembering. Instead, it feels more like your body is just performing the actions on autopilot. This is helpful as you get older and your cognitive abilities slowly decline. You already know what you need to do to bring yourself those great benefits of being healthy and productive.
7. It’s comforting and predictable
insta_photos | Shutterstock
One of the nicest things about daily routines is that they’re very comforting. You know exactly what’s going to happen when you’re engaged in a routine, so it’s predictable and soothing. These rote activities bring us a sense of reassurance and help us to remain calm in a stressful, busy world. You don’t have to wonder what’s coming next or worry about it. Instead, you just know. And that’s a good feeling.
Author Meg Selig explained that routines can either be comforting or restrictive depending on what they consist of and where you’re at in life. “In this way, paradoxically, a good routine can be freeing,” she said. “No need for constant decision-making about what’s coming next or what you should do.” However, she also noted that you can have too much of a good thing. “The disadvantages of an unhealthy routine are obvious,” she added. “But even good, healthy routines can drag us down if we don’t break them and re-form them from time to time.”
It’s important not to allow yourself to become too complacent with your routines to the point that they don’t feel special or just feel like that thing you do because you’re supposed to. But a good routine that you’re happy with can be comforting. Sometimes we need something a little mundane in our lives, and daily routines are a way to introduce that. People will find this particularly valuable as they get older.
8. It helps them maintain independence
fizkes | Shutterstock
As you get older, it can feel like you are losing your independence. You’ll need more help doing day-to-day things that used to be easy for you. Maybe you’ll have to stop driving, or need someone else to clean your home for you, assuming you can still live in it yourself. It can feel like the great independence you once knew is slipping away swiftly. But if you have daily routines in place that you can still participate in, no matter how small the actions are, they’ll give you a sense of independence.
According to AARP, “Autonomy can generally be defined as the ‘ability to make one’s own decisions, feel in control of the future and do the things [one] wants.’ Experiencing and sustaining a sense of autonomy can be challenging in the face of typical threats to independence (diminished ability to care for oneself, mobility issues, transportation challenges, and the need to alter one’s living situation).” AARP reported that 54% of people between the ages of 50 and 64 worry about holding onto their independence as they age.
Routines aren’t usually anything big or special, and as someone ages, they may have to shift some. But having the ability to do certain things every day that are a part of one’s life can help someone who’s getting older remain as independent as possible. No matter how their life or living situation may change, there will still be some things that they are in control of and that they have the power to do on their own.
9. It keeps them connected to loved ones
Chay_Tee | Shutterstock
Typically, when we think of daily routines, we think of morning and night routines, which are usually done by yourself or maybe with a family member or two that you live with. But daily routines really encompass anything that goes on during the day that you do routinely. It can include things like work and all of your routines there, or certain things you do on specific days. For example, maybe Friday is reserved for going out with friends to blow off some steam after a long week, while Sunday is for family dinners with your parents.
In this way, routines can help you stay in touch with people who are important to you. Even if you don’t go out to someone else’s house or a restaurant, maybe you text your significant other every morning to wish them a good day, or you always call your mom on your commute home from work to catch up and ask for advice. If someone means a lot to you, they will probably fit in as a natural part of your daily routines.
All of this just reinforces the health benefits that come with sticking to routines. Psychologist John Northman shared, “This idea of feeling connected becomes very reinforcing, to all of us, and it contributes to happiness, it contributes to mental health and it does contribute also to physical health … Overall, it leads to a feeling of a greater degree of support and connection psychologically.”
10. It helps them keep working
insta_photos | Shutterstock
When people get older, some of them can’t wait for retirement. After all, they’ve spent their whole lives working, and they deserve a break. Others cling to work and refuse to give it up, even when they’ve passed the age where they could, or they have no choice in the matter because of finances. Routines can help them to continue working for longer. As we’ve already established, routines keep your brain sharp. They also lend themselves nicely to the workplace, where what you do is often set in a routine.
Work can be stressful, which is part of why routines help make it easier. “When people don’t have a routine or structure to their day, it can cause increased stress and anxiety, as well as overwhelming feelings, lack of concentration, and focus,” psychologist and clinical assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine, Rachel Goldman, PhD, said. “If people don’t have structure and are sitting around with less to focus on, then they also probably will find themselves thinking about the stressful situation more, which can also lead to additional stress and anxiety.”
Creating a routine around work can make it easier to continue working when your body and mind are maybe starting to slow down a bit. It can also make the stress you experience at work easier to handle. If you want to keep working, even as you get older, a solid work routine will be extremely beneficial for you.
11. It replaces the structure of work
Mladen Zivkovic | Shutterstock
For people who find retirement to be a joyful experience that they have the privilege of taking, daily routines can provide some much-needed structure where a job used to be. If you work full-time or even part-time, your entire life is kind of built around that job. With everything else you do, you have to keep in mind the hours you work, the time you spend commuting, and when you have time off. Of course, you’ll have a work routine, but your more personal routines will take place around your job. That’s where the structure in your life comes from.
When you stop working, you lose that structure. But having good routines can take its place. Cherry shared another idea in a separate article, explaining that, “The key is to create a routine that adds structure and a sense of predictability to your day. Of course, your schedule may change somewhat depending on the day of the week, but sticking to a basic structure for when you will wake, eat, work, do activities, and sleep can help you feel less stressed out and more organized.”
Many people who retire from working talk about how they didn’t really know what to do with their time or how they craved something to keep them occupied. While a routine can only go so far and satisfy so much, it can definitely help in this situation. If you feel like there’s nothing really holding your life together anymore, having routines you participate in throughout the day will help you feel a bit more put-together.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
