Intentional Relaxation: My Evening Routine

by | Jan 19, 2017 | Real Life | 2 comments

There’s never enough time in the day. We’re going going going from the time the alarm goes off until our heads hit the pillow. We’re always behind, and we’ll never catch up.

I don’t have time to relax!

Raise your hand if you’ve ever screamed those words out of frustration when someone encouraged you to calm down. ::Sheepishly raises hand::

It’s easy to fall into the routine of non-stop hustle. Actually, it becomes a habit. And whether you’ll admit it or not, breaking a habit is harder than we bloggers make it out to be.

CHANGE YOUR LIFE IN THREE EASY STEPS!

Bullshit!

Making relaxation a priority in your life means breaking the hustle habit. And it takes approximately 28 days to change a behavior. That means you have to consciously decide for twenty-eight days in a row that relaxation matters to you. Chances are, something will come up and derail those plans. Before you know it, you’re back to the hustle lifestyle.

I’m guilty of this. I’m constantly guilty of this. But I have a system in place for when things get really out of control. I’ve come to realize that we just don’t like having to make decisions. If you systemize the things that come the hardest to you, you might actually stick to them. They become habits, routines.

My shut down evening routine.

4-5PM. Shut down. I’m not great at this yet. In fact, I’m technically supposed to end my workday at 3 since I start at 7. I’m working on it. But I do try to be out of my office by 5PM.

Exercise. Since I work from home, I need something that transitions my day from working to relaxing. I usually go for a run, but I have recently re-introduced the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred into my life. This is my favorite part of my day. It clears my head and really helps transition my mind.

Shower. This is the key ingredient. Going through my shower routine in the evening actually signifies to my brain that it’s time to stop and relax. I let my hair air dry and I slater coconut oil all over my body. Everything is clean and fresh. I get into my pajamas at this time.

Prepare dinner. Jonathan has been getting experimental in the kitchen again lately which has been really fun. Sometimes I’ll have a beer or a glass of wine at this time. We’ve done a good job of actually preparing our meals and cleaning them up together. Once dinner is done, I set the coffee pot and turn off the kitchen lights, another indication that things are shutting down.

Wind down. Around 8:30, I start to relax my mind and body. I’ll set the tea pot and fix some Yogi Honey Lavender Stress Relief tea. Sometimes I’ll watch a show, but a lot of times lately I’ve tried to swap out extra screen time for a book. Call me a grandma, but this girl is usually in bed around 9.

TV time. I crawl into bed around 9. I know all the research out there says you shouldn’t dare watch TV to fall asleep, but I do and almost always have. FRIENDS or How I Met Your Mother (both shows I know well on the lowest volume even with my eyes closed).

Dedicate your evenings to relaxing.

The work can always get done tomorrow.

Intentionally taking the time to unwind and relax in the evenings will prepare you for the day that follows. You’d be amazed how much our habits feed off one another. If you’re running yourself ragged, you’ll feel it. And when you feel bad, everything suffers. Your mood, your productivity, and your relationships. Take time for yourself.

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2 Comments

  1. I am watching How I Met Your Mother episodes on Netflix too. Love that show! I hated the ending but I found a YouTube video with an alternate ending that I am going to use to replace the final episode when I get back to it 🙂

    Reply
  2. This is something I need to get so much better at. Thanks for the motivation!

    Reply

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