Remember when I admitted in the things that make me crazy how much I suck at sleeping?
Well, I do.
And I also really suck at forcing myself to relax.
I’m a high strung person. I admit it. It also doesn’t help that I can always find something that needs to get done around the house. Sometimes I find myself doing chores right up until the moment I get in bed. At which point, I stare up at the ceiling and think… omg I’m never going to fall asleep.
So I’ll pull out my phone or my ipad and see what all you night owls are up to. And then I realize I’ve refreshed twitter ten times and there’s nothing new because you all have gone to sleep. It’s become a sickness.
I also used to be that girl who habitually took a bath every single night. I’d fill the tub, grab my kindle and iphone, and settle in. I’d have these grand plans to read read read–and the next thing I know, the waters cold and all I’ve done is text my friends. What’s so relaxing about that?
I don’t know when I decided to try the whole shower at night thing, but I’m here to tell you that it’s changed my life.
Yes. Simply taking a shower at night
has changed my life.
It’s a moment of zen and quiet. There’s no way to text, tweet, or talk in the shower. I’m washing the day away. I wait until everything I need to do is done, and then I hop in the shower. And it’s amazing.
It signifies the end of my day.
Which is important for me since I don’t leave an office.
After my shower, I slather on the coconut oil and slip into my huge fluffy robe. And I lounge. I read. I catch up on a show or two. I talk to my husband. Sometimes I’ll browse the internets or blog. But a couple nights a week, I POWER DOWN my phone and ipad.
Did you even know those things turn off?
I kid, I kid, but only because I don’t think I’d ever turned my phone off.
Turning off my phone, or the idea of it, used to give me so much anxiety. What if something happens? What if I miss something? Can you blame me? We live in a digital world where all our friends live behind a screen. Disconnecting is scary.
But just a couple nights a week, I sign off of the digital world. I turn everything off. I read a book. I talk to my husband. I play with the dog.
It’s so relieving.
It’s strange to me how much taking a shower at night helps me relax. But it was equally strange for me to realize how much turning off my technology would feel like a relief. I’d feel that pang to want to check twitter so see if someone texted me, and then I’d remember my my device is off. And suddenly it would feel like a huge pain in the butt to turn it back on just to check.
I don’t commit to that nightly. Are you kidding? Half the fun of watching The Bachelor is reading Jennifer Weiner’s snarky tweets. But just a couple nights a week, it’s really nice to take a night off from technology.
linked: totallypostedtuesday
I am increasingly addicted to my phone and know that I need to take more time away. I have gotten in the habit of leaving my phone in another room at night. Not really on purpose, but if I leave it in the kitchen and sit on the couch, I don't necessarily get up to grab it. Even not having the temptation to read twitter for the duration of one show makes me feel more relaxed. I don't want to give it up completely but some time away is nice!
This is so great! I definitely need to unplug more.
I've started showering at night instead of the morning too. It has seriously made my mornings so much less stressful! And I'm guilty of attempting a relaxing bath but bringing my phone along with a book too- then ignoring the book.
I love it! My husband and I made it our "family rule" to have technology free nights two to three nights a week. We even keep the TV off then. It has really helped us refocus our relationship and get us ready for the upcoming days. It's a game changer 🙂
http://wigdiggity.blogspot.com/
Thank you for posting this! Last night I read it, put my iPad down, and got in the bathtub. Afterward I crawled into bed, drank some tea and listened to a meditation podcast that lulled me to sleep. When I woke up this morning at 5am I felt refreshed and well rested. I needed that!
I REALLY feel like I need to try the shower instead of the bath. I just spend SO MUCH TIME in the tub if I let myself. And you're right – the shower wouldn't allow me to look on my phone or Kindle. I'm going to give it a try!