In the five years since I have been living independently, it has only been a few weeks since I really have started to establish a routine for myself that is as concrete as it can be. While accommodating things that may happen in its path, it is important to understand how having a routine can be essential in things like sleep, hygiene, and overall wellness.

There is no lie in saying that my routines have been all over the place in my first five years of living independently. There has been no rhyme or reason because I was not very well mentally. It was extremely hard to establish a routine because it was hard to recognize the necessity of doing so and understanding that it was necessary for me to be well.

Changing transportation from being provided by the day services to county paratransit a month ago had to force me to look at being better at establishing morning and evening routines to have what I needed along with getting the necessary sleep in between the two routines. There also needed to be an understanding that no two days are alike and it is not only on the days that I had to use the transportation, but also with life in general in establishing routines with going to the gym as I have started that at the first of the year and it has too been quite successful, mainly because I have been adhering to  the same routine and processes of how things are done on that end.

Then there are the tasks that are required to need to be addressed as part of living independently. Making sure that clothing, towels, rugs, and bed sheets are laundered routinely, and cleaning is completed at regular intervals along with ensuring that the kitchen is kept clean and adequate. Making sure that my home is in a livable condition is something that was not always of importance to be, but now being of a sounder mind is something that has been more attentive recently because it looks good when it is completed at frequent intervals.

Nothing is going to go perfectly when routines or processes initially start, but there needs to be consistency when things are started so at least they begin to become ritualistic and habitual in nature. This way, they become a part of what is expected in the life of the person, regardless of their neurotype, there needs to be some consistency in establishing routines and processes for them to be habitual and consistent in nature.

For me that has been phenomenally successful as of late. Whether it has been adapting to the new transportation situation by adhering to a better medication regimen and understanding the necessity of going to sleep at a certain hour, regardless of whether I want to sleep or not, there needs to be a necessity and regimen beyond sleep and medication that needs to be an all-inclusive part of what makes me thrive in the day as an autistic person.

Exercising that having pieces missing from my life is what has been missing from my independent life and having things like as normal as a routine that I can have along with incorporating new activities like exercising at the gym can help go a long way in helping protect my overall health, which the overall goal of 2024 is. Establishing routines and processes to do what is necessary to have all the working pieces happen is essential in ensuring that things will be successful overall.