I remember the days when I was working in an office for 40+ hours per week. I would be completely exhausted in the evening, and know I needed a good night’s sleep so I could rock at life the next day.
Since I felt too tired for evening activities much of the time, I would pop on some Netflix and binge out on my favorite TV shows, which would lure me in, and the next thing I knew it was 1 AM when I needed to wake up at 6!
Sound familiar? I’m pretty sure most of us have been there.
Well I’ve got to tell you what I've discovered through many of my own struggle days. My nighttime routine makes all the difference!
Think about it. At night, after work, how do you usually feel? How do you go to bed in the evenings? What are you doing for the hour leading up to your bedtime?
The more I think about it, the more I think we're really just grown up babies. We work well with a routine and a regular bedtime.
Babies can't just go straight to bed and be expected to go to sleep. Just imagine if you gave a baby a screen and said, "Go to sleep when you're done watching YouTube okay?" What a nightmare that would be! That baby would never go to sleep, and would be very cranky the next day.
Since we're like grown up babies, I guess that means we need to be bathed before bed, and lulled to sleep by a bedtime story, lullaby, or something of the sort. Doesn't sound so bad actually.
Come to think of it, I do like to bathe before bed, rub myself down with some yummy moisturizer, and then go to sleep with a literal bedtime story (so glad those are back!) Could it be that easy? That we just need to go back to the crib days?
Want to know how to simultaneously revert back to an infant, while parenting yourself beautifully? I thought so!
I recommend starting in your journal.
Write down all the things you could choose to do during your nighttime routine that would set you up for success the next morning. I'll give you a list of ideas, and you can pull from the ones that resonate with you the most. Perhaps you want to start with one thing that appeals to you first, and go from there.
Come up with a consistent time for your evening routine
You can shape your evening routine in many ways, but for some, the consistency of performing their evening tasks at the same time each night is the most important thing. What time would you like to start in order to maximize results? No worries if scheduling isn't your jam, just come up with a game plan that feels comfortable for you.
Make your morning life smooth & easy
Some ideas:
Lay out the clothes you’d like to wear
Pack your bag
Prepare what you’ll eat or drink for breakfast and/or lunch
Schedule in priorities (perhaps 3 goals for tomorrow)
Plan your self care for the morning
How can I make tomorrow morning the most pleasant and inspirational experience for me?
Be still, meditate, and breathe. Map your plan the night before, and queue up guided meditation, music, or bath oils. Exercise is always an excellent plan for self care. A nice shower, self massage, affirmations, free form journaling, and diffusing essential oils are also ideas.
Bedtime Journaling
Journal in the evening. Write down 3 ways you made a positive impact today or 3 things you’re grateful for.
You could also visualize and write how you’d like tomorrow to go. You can go down to the tiniest detail. What will you wear? What will happen? Who will you meet? Where? How will you feel? What will you eat? How will it taste? How will you celebrate your victories?
Winding Down
Here’s where you prepare your body and mind to have the most restful sleep. Do something relaxing like taking bath or drinking tea. You can also diffuse your favorite nighttime oil, light a candle, or do some yin yoga. Meditation is also an excellent wind down ritual and can help you have better sleep.
I’ll give you an idea of what my evenings look like:
At around 8 or 9:00 I start to think about tomorrow.
I put my 3 top priorities for the following day in my calendar.
I meditate and write down a free flow of grateful moments.
If I’m on top of it, I’ll lay out my clothes and pack my bag.
I’ll decide what I’ll eat for breakfast the next day and make sure I’m prepared for it.
I do some gentle stretches while reviewing what went awesomely about today.
After all that, I pop some lavender oil in my diffuser, turn on my sleepy time meditation and prepare to dance with the stars. I’m ready to hit the hay and am super excited to wake up in the morning with a fresh sense of inspiration and purpose.
I notice a night and day difference when I take the time to do my evening routine.
It’s like I wake up a different person, without the stress and ready for a smooth sailing kind of day. In the end, you are the one who knows best what you need. Trust yourself and remember that you deserve to have sweet dreams and happy mornings.
Your Soul Therapist,
Dia Michelle Smith
If you feel like you could use a revamp on your evening (or morning) rituals and want some support and guidance toward your inner inspiration you can schedule a free consultation with Dia!
Treat yourself to meditation with Dia or some evening yoga!
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