Getting Back on Track: Coping with Routine Disruptions & Depression

First posted – April 30, 2025 / Revised – May 29,2025

Let us talk about routines—the comforting choreography of wake, eat, work, rest, repeat. For many who live with depression, routine is not just a habit… it is a lifeline. A well-worn path through the fog. It reduces decision fatigue, provides rhythm when emotions are jazzing out of tune, and lends structure when motivation is on unpaid leave.

But here’s the kicker: routines, like trains, can derail. One small disruption—a missed alarm, a gloomy morning, a random emotional ambush—and suddenly, the whole carriage topples. The momentum is lost, and the simple act of brushing your teeth feels like pushing a freight train uphill… with your pinky toe.

So what now? You crawl under the covers and wait for tomorrow? Maybe. But if you are ready, there is another way: a gentle, three-step track switch I call The Salvation Steps.

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Step 1: Accept the Derailment

First things first—acknowledge the bump. No denial. No guilt. No dramatic inner monologues about being “lazy” or “failing again.”

Your routine got knocked off. That is all. Not a personality flaw. Not the end of the world. Just a temporary stop. Like a train paused at a signal—not broken, just waiting.

Say it out loud:
🗣️ “Okay, today didn’t go as planned. That’s alright. It happens.”

Permission to be human? Granted.

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Step 2: Broaden Your Options

When we derail, tunnel vision kicks in. “Well, the day is ruined,” we tell ourselves. But here is the truth: the day is not over—it just needs a new route.

Broaden your perspective. Is the entire routine out of reach, or just that one step? Can you swap a 30-minute workout with a 3-minute stretch? Can’t cook dinner? Maybe a sandwich and some fruit will do just fine.

Give yourself permission to pivot, not panic. Even trains have backup tracks.

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Step 3: Call for Tiny Action

The goal is not to restart the whole routine perfectly. That is a fast track to overwhelm. Instead, pick one small action and do just that.

💧 Drink a glass of water.
📩 Reply to one message.
🧦 Put on clean socks (yes, that counts).
📓 Write down one thing you’re feeling.

Like pushing a stalled train—tiny force, repeated gently, gets things moving again.

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Full Circle Back to Tiny Wins

This ties back beautifully to our earlier blog on Tiny Wins. Because recovering from a derailment is a win. A small one. A mighty one.

Each time you pause, breathe, adjust, and try again, you are building resilience. You are proving—quietly, defiantly—that depression may disrupt, but it does not define.

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A Final Thought:

You are not a broken train.
You are a traveler navigating tough terrain.
And every time you get back on track, no matter how messy, you are moving forward.

Even if it is just one breath, one sock, one glass of water at a time. 🚂💛

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Back on Track

A train once steady in its pace,
Now still—derailed in quiet space.
No bang, no crash, just lost in fog,
Its rhythm gone, its wheels agog.

The clock still ticks, the world moves on,
But you sit still, your energy gone.
A single thought, too loud, too vast—
“Another routine… failed so fast.”

But pause, dear heart—this is not shame.
It’s just a rest stop. Not the same
As quitting, falling, giving in—
It’s life’s hiccup, not your end.

So breathe, reset, no need to race.
Perfection has no home in grace.
Begin with socks, or sip of tea,
A whisper-step toward “just be.”

No need to fix the whole grand plan—
Just lift a finger if you can.
Each tiny act—a quiet cheer,
A flag that says, “I’m still right here.”

For routines break, and trains do pause,
But motion starts with no applause.
Just steady faith, and gentle tries,
Beneath a grey, forgiving sky.

And when you rise, no matter when,
You’re not behind—you’ve moved again.
Derailments come, derailments go,
But you, dear soul, still learn and grow.

~JC

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