Keeping A Schedule

I'm a teacher. When I was on summer break this year, I missed a few things.

My students, my co-workers, a steady salary.. But what I miss the most is having a routine.

There is a meme going around on the teacher forums.

“During the school year: ‘It is 9:15 on Monday, October 21st’”
“During the Summer: ‘I think it’s like...Maybe June?’”

All understanding of time is totally lost, and because of that, our ability to keep a schedule or have a grasp on our daily lives becomes lost.

As a teacher with AS, this takes a whole different path when it comes to keeping on top of my healthcare.

Today, class, we will be talking about the importance of keeping a schedule.

Keeping a sleep schedule

When you have no good reason to wake up in the morning, it is a pretty amazing feeling. You think, “I can sleep till noon if I want!”

And because of this fact, you stay up way too late, go to bed, and sleep until 2PM.

The only issue is that the next day you need to take the dog to the vet at 8AM, meaning you need to wake up earlier. But, because you slept until 2:00 you aren’t tired at the time you need to sleep, you stay up too late, and wake up after only getting 4 hours of semi-quality sleep, which means you take a long nap, and once again, your sleep schedule is off.

We, the chronically ill whose bodies are always fighting, need that quality sleep even more than your average human.

So, no matter what your week looks like, keep a proper sleep schedule. Experts say at least 8 hours, but do what your body most needs, even if that means waking up at 7AM every day.

Use that extra time in the morning to do something you say you would do if you had more time. Well, here is that time!

Take your meds on time

This is something I struggle with a lot when I don’t have a daily schedule. I’m not going through my usual workday morning motions and I totally forget to take my meds.

When I’m getting ready for school, I take my meds while my breakfast sandwich is cooking. I do it every day like clockwork.

When Im not running through my schedule, or if I am sleeping in late, I might pour a bowl of cereal or skip breakfast all together. Removing this part of my routine deletes all the events that come after like Marty McFly’s mom falling in love with him in 1955. The sandwich wasn’t cooked and therefore the meds weren’t taken. And seriously, did I take my biologic last week or the week before? All these days are the same! Which day was which?

Therefore, once again, it is important to keep a schedule to take your meds on time. Set an alarm, or a reminder on your home assistant. You really don’t want to fall behind on your meds and get that painful reminder that you forgot your meds.

Keep your fridge stocked

Yes, I know, cooking and cleaning up after yourself sucks! But, eating out can suck so much more. It usually costs more money, and often the choices are not what we should be eating.

I doubt it’s just me when I say, the only way I can stick to a proper meal plan is to always have food in the house. If I don’t shop (which I know also sucks) I am so much more likely to just pick up a burger and fries on the way home.

If there is food in the house, I know it is a rush against the expiration date and I will be way more motivated to cook. The breakfast sandwiches I talked about...I know if I don’t eat those every day for breakfast, the English muffins will get hard, and I can’t let that happen!

Thusfore, keeping a schedule and at least cooking dinner at home every night will allow you to both eat healthy, and keep on track to make sure you are doing everything else you need to do, like taking your meds and going to bed on time.

Keeping a schedule

I know very well that everything I wrote here isn’t a depiction of how everything goes for every person reading this.

Things happen, you have an inconsistent work schedule, you just don't have the energy to cook and you might need to nap all day. I totally get it!

But, if you are able to set and keep a schedule, I can assure you your life will run a lot smoother and your body won’t take a hit.