10 Ways to Spruce up Your Nighttime Routine
Congratulations! You made it through another day.
Take off your shoes and put your comfy pants on. After a long day of putting your best foot forward, it’s time to unwind. Putting yourself out there in the world can be downright exhausting.
Putting your nighttime routine on autopilot is easy. Having a structured nighttime routine can help guarantee your success. It will increase your relaxation at night, making for a morning that flows easier.
Below are 10 Ways to Ensure a tranquil night.
- Clear Your Space
Clutter leads to mental chaos, which invites anxiety and distress in our lives. Some are able to function better in a disorderly environment. Although we all thrive uniquely, you should know where things are at. When there are things all over the place, our brain is constantly notifying us that there is more work to be done.
No need to deep clean the whole house. Pick up things that are on the floor, and in the way. A clean area will make it simpler to complete your nighttime routine.
- Prepare your things for the morning
Sleep better knowing you have your life together in the morning. Do not start your day in a harsh way! You shouldn’t be raising your cortisol first thing in the morning. Cortisol is a stress hormone in the adrenal glands meant to control blood pressure. Its activation can be crucial for high-pressure situations. We want to avoid seeing our morning as a high-pressure occurrence because it comes every day!
It’s not only crucial to decompress, but also to prepare yourself for what’s ahead. It can be difficult to truly let go when you know a rough morning is ahead. We should spend our nights letting go of the day while preparing for the next.
Surprisingly our morning and night routines have a lot in common. Just like in the morning, I believe every evening you should complete what you dislike first to get it out of the way. This task should be the one that requires the most of your energy. This may mean packing your lunch for the next day, laying out your clothes, and getting your bags in order. After this is done, you are able to do things you truly enjoy!
Putting an unrushed effort into yourself can do wonders for your self-esteem. It can even create extra time you were unaware existed!
You do not need to scramble out the door with mascara on one eye and your panties on backward.
- Engage the senses
Aromatherapy is a wonderful way to engage the senses, as well as invite relaxation. The inhalation of certain scents has been proven to put us in particular mindsets. Make sure you incorporate self-care into your routine.
Lavender is known to have calming properties. It actually interacts with our neurotransmitter called GABA, to calm nervous system activity. You can reap the benefits of lavender in many ways. You could use lavender-scented body wash, or spray your pillow with the scent.
A few other calming scents are jasmine and chamomile. Find what suits you best and use it to your advantage!
- Free-Write
Writing is extremely therapeutic. You do not need to be Hemingway. Don’t you dare worry about spelling or grammatical errors. Word vomiting is the best way to get your feelings out. Your writing could be on an old notepad or your iPhone. I like the OneNote app. Our mind is an endless stream of thoughts. Keeping track of what’s going on internally is a great way to learn more about yourself.
Another option for this practice is using journal prompts. This may be better if you prefer a more structured approach to your free-write. It can be nice to go back and reflect on past entries. You can see how you improved. Our past selves can teach us a lot.
- List something you liked about the day
This can give you a sense of accomplishment. When the day goes to absolute crap, you won’t feel like it was a complete failure. Sometimes we have days where nothing seems positive. On those days, list something extremely simple. This could be a lack of traffic in the morning or a sandwich you enjoyed!
The practice of gratitude takes time for its effects to take place. When used as a habit, it’s an excellent addition to your nighttime routine.
- Do not let the last thing you look at be a screen.
You do not want the last thing on your mind before you go into a deep slumber be petty Facebook drama. Social media has many correlations with negative mental health effects.
Ever watch something on television before you go to bed, and it enters your dream? Your brain is a sponge at this time, use it carefully.
I recommend listening to a positive audiobook or reading a self-help book. Music is great too! Making sure you are in the right state of mind is essential for a great rest.
- Take a Walk
Walking has many positive effects on mental health. Aside from keeping your body healthy, it also does wonders for your mood. Exercise tires the body out in a way that makes it easier to relax. This gentle way of releasing endorphins can put you in the perfect mindset for bed.
I enjoy using walking before bed as a mindfulness technique. Mindfulness is the practice of being in the moment. One day when you’re feeling brave, try going on a walk without your phone. Notice your surroundings. What are the birds doing? What do you hear? This is an excellent way to teach yourself to be more present.
- Make someone feel good about themselves
A special kind of peace arises when we help others to be more confident. Being selfless is an instant mood booster because it makes us feel better in an altruistic way. It helps us to focus less on our own problems.
- Cuddle
You could hug a dog, partner, or a pillow. Holding something or someone close to you can hold many benefits.
Cuddling releases oxytocin, which helps us to cope with stress. In this fast-paced world, our loving energy is crucial to help us heal.
- Lift Your Spirits With A Guided Meditation
We are so lucky to live in a time where Youtube is thriving. It has many resources for basically any problem you may encounter. Guided meditations are wonderful for putting ourselves into the right mindset. For example, let's say the day made you angry. We can look for meditations specifically about letting go of anger. This will help to reprogram your brain and set it on the right path for the morning.
Sleep is so important. It affects both our physical and mental health. Use the time leading up to sleeping to your benefit. These 10 methods are a great start to ending the day in a positive way.
What are your favorite ways to wind down?
