Most of us have a morning routine, whether it is a healthy one or not. We get up each morning and tend to do the same things to prepare ourselves for the day. So many people argue how important a morning routine is in our life. Although I am not disagreeing, I strongly believe that we need a night time routine just as much. I feel that a night time routine prepares you more for the next day compared to a morning routine.
So what do you actually include in a nightly routine? Anything you want! That’s the best part. Unsure of what you want to include though? That’s simple. You just need to figure out what your priorities are. For me, I am on my feet all day with work so I like to relax the body and mind. I am a person who needs everything to be organised to the finest detail so that also plays a huge part. My boyfriend’s nightly routine is completely different to mine which is even then completely different to our other housemates. The key is to creating a routine that suits your needs and wants.
My night time routine starts as soon as I get home from work, whether that be at 4pm or 6pm. I organise dinner immediately as I like to have the earliest dinner possible. This helps with sleeping as my food has been digested before hand. Did you know that you should eat at least two hours before you go to bed? Crazy right, because I know so many people who don’t. Whilst dinner is cooking I will organise my snacks and lunch for the next day. I iron any clothes for the next day and pack my gym bag. Once I am organised I sit down to eat dinner. I eat with my housemate and admittedly we eat on the couch watching TV, which isn’t the greatest for digestion. Tom’s dinner stays in the oven until later when he is hungry as he is a bit of a night owl.
After I have watched some TV I then look at spending the rest of my night tech free. I get so emotionally charged from technology that I find it very difficult to sleep if I use it. I aim to stop using my phone after 8pm each night by putting it on do not disturb and placing it on charge and out of sight. Some nights I will still use technology such as watching a movie but I make sure that I don’t have my phone or iPad near me. I head upstairs about 8pm where I dry body brush, shower and apply my coconut oil. I then sit down and journal. My journal has been a very important part of my treatment of depression and anxiety as it helps me to release many of my emotions. My favourite part of the night is when I get to jump into bed and read my book for half an hour. This is the time that I get to completely escape the world.
So let’s create a nightly routine for you. If you read through the following questions it may help you to get started on creating a routine specialised just for you.
– Are you someone who when they come home, needs to sit down straight away or are you someone who if they sit down, won’t get back up again?
– Do you like to have all your meals prepared on the weekends so you reheat them or do you prefer to cook from scratch every night?
– Do you want to incorporate relaxation into your nightly routine?
– What time do you want to eat dinner? Remember it should be two hours before you go to bed.
– Do you exercise in the afternoon/evening? This will impact on what time you go to bed as well.
– Do you feel the need to be on your phone when you are in bed? Would you then benefit from turning your devices off?
– Do you bring your work home with you? And do you then constantly keep working, even when you are in bed?
– How many coffees and caffeinated teas do you drink in the afternoon/evening?
– What type of sugar do you consume and how much per day?
– What time do you need to be up in the morning?
– What jobs/errands do you need to do when you get home? Would you benefit from doing these on the weekend if time is restricted during the week?
I am looking forward to seeing how you implement your new routine. Just remember that you will not be able to do this in just one week. You probably won’t even be able to do this in a month. It will take time and patience and you will need to be flexible with it. I am still working on mine every single week. It does get easier the more you tweak and practice it though. Just make sure that it suits you. It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing for their routine because they are a completely different person to you. This is all about you and your health. Show me your progress by using the hashtag #theendlesstraveller on Instagram. You can also send me an email with any questions or feedback about how you can implement your routine.
the endless traveller 