Setting Your Nighttime Routine
There’s all this hype around a morning routine (rightfully so), but have you established a nighttime routine? My nighttime routine has anchored me and has provided so much clarity. It sets the tone for a goodnight’s rest. It’s a way of wrapping out your day intentionally. For me, when my daughter is asleep at night, I can meditate in peace because if she wakes up, my hubs can take over (I know not everyone has a helpful partner). Before I used to overly indulge in social media or do 500 things in the kitchen and around the house. Now, I have a rule, I can only be in the kitchen for 30 min. Because let's face it, cleaning the mess after cooking sucks and can take a lot of time. Also, delegate work ;).
It took time to discover a nighttime routine that would work for me. I used to do my nighttime routine inconsistently. Until one day I challenged myself to do it EVERYDAY. I did just that. On days where I didn’t feel like doing anything, I did 5 minutes. A few minutes is better than 0 minutes. During this stage, I was creating the habit. It is now second nature. I sit my butt on my meditation pillow and anchor into my nighttime routine.
So, what exactly is my night time routine?
I start off with zero social media past 7:00 pm. If you do this, you’ll have so much free time on your hands. Social media tends to warp us into its rabbit hole. By the time you know it, it’s 11:00 pm and you’re looking at videos of labradoodles.
Mindful bath/shower:
My shower time or bath. Holy crap, I love taking a hot shower (with zero interruptions). I take this as me time and savor every second. My question for you, when you’re in the shower, are you really in the shower? Or are you in your mind? I learned from Jon Kabat Zinn, to actually be there. We tend to go into our to dos or worries etc. Focus on the warm water and how blessed you are to be able to take a shower and freshen up. You can also do a body scan. These are tools to bring you to the moment; and, they work!
Meditate/ breathwork:
Create a little corner where you can go to everyday and every night to meditate. I call mine, my zen corner (when my toddler is not there, lol). This corner has become my little escape. My mini mental retreat, everynight. I do a minimum of 5 minutes. Lets face it, running after a toddler the whole day can be exhausting. Sometimes the last thing I want to do is mediate (hey, I’m human). This is when I tell myself, you need to make your routine a priority and show up even on the days you don’t feel like it. You gotta be your own hype man sometimes. Let me tell you, I never ever regret sitting down and meditating. There is so much tranquility that comes from meditation and breathwork.
Journal:
I like to journal right after I meditate. This does not have to be an essay. It can simply be an expression of gratitude for the day on a piece of paper. PS. I have a free 5 day journal routine of my go to. SIgn up here to receive it___
Bonus, read:
I love to read. I believe people who don’t like to read haven’t found the right book to fall in love with reading. Read something positive for 5 minutes or a few pages. Feed your mind something positive right before bed. PS. this will make you extra sleepy and will set the tone for a good night's rest!
& then I knockout!
You don't have to do all of these! It could be something so simple my goal with everything new that I approach is to start small. Create the habit. You don’t have to meditate for 2 hours to have a “good” meditation.