Direct link to TV segment: https://globalnews.ca/video/9586549/spring-clean-your-bedtime-routine/
Spring is the perfect time to make tweaks to your bedtime routine!
You Might Ask: Isn’t a Morning Routine More Important?
Well, the evening routines set the foundation to the morning routine. All great days start the evening before, I’ll explain! THE BETTER YOUR EVENING, THE BETTER YOUR MORNING. THE BETTER YOUR MORNING, THE BETTER YOUR DAY. Think about it: if you stay up late, eating crappy food, how will you feel the next morning? And then the rest of the day?
5 Ways To Spring Clean Your Bedtime Routine
1. Make a list of all the activities you’d like to incorporate into your “ideal evening routine”
This is the fun part. Grab a journal or piece of paper and a pen. You don’t HAVE to be doing these things yet, but write what your beautifully “perfect” evening routine could look like. EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT THERE. You might be breast feeding a newborn, for example, and aren’t able to do what you want to do right right now. That doesn’t matter. Write the activities that make you relaxed, calm, happy and peaceful. Think: cup of tea, bath, apply a mask/facial, listen to podcast, watch funny show for 30 minutes, journal, bedtime yoga, meditation, unplug by 8pm, read, bake… You get it. You also don’t have to do EVERYTHING all at once, and in one night. This is your big list of activities you could do throughout your week. Your master list, shall we say.
2. Now, create the cue that builds the routine
Let me explain what I mean. For example, to ensure that I work out in the morning, I lay my clothes out the night before by my bedside. To ensure I drink my room temp lemon water in the morning, I keep a jug of purified water by my sink every day. If you want to stop those sugary night snack cravings, cut up fresh fruit or veggies in your fridge during the day to make it easy to create the good habit. To ensure I eat a healthy lunch the next day, I make it the night before. Get it? If I want to reap the benefits of a vibrant life, I use my evening routine to set this all up. Create the cue that builds the routine you want to establish.
3. Set an unplug time and stick to it if you can
If you can actually commit to an unplug time and try and stick to it, your brain will thank you (a Harvard University study found that exposure to blue light, the light produced by your phone, can suppress melatonin and shift your circadian rhythm) and your body will thank you too. Screens need to end for you at a certain time (that includes TV, computer, phones). Set an unplug time if you can (8 or 9pm), try and stick to a similar bedtime hour each night if possible, and charge all electronics OUT OF THE BEDROOM so you aren’t tempted.
4. Take 5 minute to review your next day
Every night (but not as my last evening activity), I take no more than 5 minutes to look at the upcoming day. I glance at my calendar and task list for the next day for me and the kids. It gives me a sense of calm knowing I’m closing my day, and I have a rough idea of what’s coming tomorrow. This way, I wake up with a sense of purpose and ease, knowing roughly what’s going on today for me and the kids, and can make choices to thrive.
5. Set aside 30 mins after the kids are asleep for self-care
Remember that master list you created in tip #1? it’s time to start your nightly self care routine! It’s important to give yourself a decent amount of time to wind down—your routine should take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, or longer if possible. What if you spent your evening with a hot bath after the kids are asleep, or some gentle yoga, or a little journaling, or reading a romance novel, or listening to a true crime podcast. How about catching up with friends? Meditation? A little health cooking? A funny movie? Keep your master list handy, and start to build your consistent bedtime routine, one day at time.
Self-care isn’t selfish, let’s remember that!
Sending love,
