Your Best Day Begins With A Good Evening

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” ―John C. Maxwell

We tend to forget how important it is to end the day with a solid routine. The morning routine is often the main focus of marketing campaigns, however an evening routine is just as important – if not more so.

Think of it this way – if we end our evening with a set of gentle rituals designed to help us unwind and release the day, we are setting ourselves up for a restful, restorative sleep to ensure we start the next day off well rested, giving you the energy to be productive, creative and clearly focused on your daily tasks and responsibilities.

It also ensures we are consistent with our morning rituals, as we all know how easy it is to miss a morning workout or meditation practice if we do not sleep well, end up sleeping in, or rushing through our morning as we’re late for work.

Here are my favourite rituals to consider ending your day with. Try incorporating some of these into your evening, keeping in mind that consistency is key. Maybe just try one to start, sticking with it for at least 21 days to create the habit, adding other rituals as you go along.

EAT EARLY AND AVOID STIMULANTS

Try to eat your dinner no later than 6pm and finish eating by 7pm, as this gives you ample time to digest your food prior to sleep. Skip the late night snacking as this fires up our digestive system, when we want it to be shutting down. Plus, all those unnecessary calories just sit there and don’t get burned off, leading to weight gain.

Avoid any substances such as caffeine, sugar, drugs, tobacco or alcohol. We often think these substances are relaxing, however they are stimulants and will not help us get a deep restful sleep as they create an excitation of the nervous system. They may help you get to sleep, but maintaining a level of deep restorative sleep doesn’t occur and you may find yourself waking frequently during the night, or having a light sleep.

DO SOME LIGHT EXERCISE

Any gentle exercise such as qigong or an evening yoga sequence after dinner will not only calm your mind after a busy day, but will also aid in the digestion of your last meal. Spending time walking outside helps you connect to the calming rhythms of nature and process your day.

LIGHTEN THINGS UP!

Spend time at an activity that you enjoy. When we lead busy lives, we need to balance our life with work and play. Leave your work behind at the end of the day and focus on a hobby that is fun or brings you joy, such as painting, writing, music, working with wood, or trying a new hobby. Plan a regular game night with the family to bring more laughter in! All of these activities awaken our creative energies which helps us bring more wholeness to our days.

EVENING MEDITATION/CALMING BREATHS

A short evening meditation along with calming slow breathing exercises can bring your stress levels down, preparing you for a restorative sleep especially if you did not have the opportunity to meditate in the afternoon. While the morning meditation is a beautiful way to start your day, adding the second meditation, either in the afternoon or evening is an ideal practice that will help you to see results faster. If you don’t have time for a second meditation, even 5 minutes of gentle breathing exercises will prepare us for a good sleep – and you can even do these right before you go to sleep while lying in bed!

TURN OFF ALL SCREENS BY 8PM

Turn off your phone, TV and social media by 8pm – blue screens are stimulating as they block melatonin, which is a hormone that helps to make you sleepy. Dim any bright or fluorescent lights. If it’s possible, avoid phone calls past 8pm as well, especially if they can be upsetting or work-related. If you do have to watch TV, try and watch something that makes you laugh, avoiding violent movies, TV shows, video games and the news. We internalize what we watch, and then digest those emotions during the night, so anything jarring will work against us when we’re trying to wind down for the night.

JOURNAL

Journaling is an excellent habit to get into. Putting words to paper releases the need to ruminate or dwell on our day. Part of being successful requires you to look inside yourself, be introspective, and learn to be more self-aware. Awareness is one of the keys to staying present and keep moving forward in all areas of your life.

Grab a notebook or piece of paper before you go to bed and write down a brief synopsis of the day – what you enjoyed or found productive; if something bothered or upset you; any ideas or thoughts that are lingering.

Once you’re done, add any tasks on your mind that you need to get done the following day, as this allows you to go to sleep with a clean slate and nothing left to think about.

At the end of your journal post, write down 5 things you are grateful for. They don’t have to be grandiose things – they can be as simple as “I’m grateful I found a parking spot close to the office”, or “I’m grateful to have woken up this morning”. 

Journaling helps to release all of the negative emotions that may have arisen during the day. It’s a good time to take stock of what is no longer serving you, and a great time to ask yourself how you are feeling. Is there something that you need to let go of, something you’re holding on to that is making you feel anxious or angry? Or perhaps there’s something that you need to bring more of into your life, like laughter, or having more fun? Write it down and release it from your thoughts.

Plus, sometimes putting things on paper helps us to set an intention and stick with it.

GO TO BED AT A SET TIME

 All of these evening rituals help us to get a good night’s sleep. Most of us need at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night in order to feel rested and ready to perform the next day. 

Going to bed at the same time – weekends included – should be a cornerstone of your evening routine.

If you want to perform at peak levels, it is suggested to go to bed no later than 10pm and rise between 6-7am. Understandably it’s not always possible to do so, but keeping the same sleep/wake time during the week and on the weekends sets us up for success – it helps our bodies to function at an optimal level and gives us energy to perform at our jobs, our relationships and to take care of ourselves.

A good evening routine like this one may seem daunting at first, but give it a try for a few weeks. It sets us up not only to begin our best day, giving us consistency, but sets us up for success at the same time, helping us to release any thoughts or energy we’ve been holding on to from the day, and allowing our body to do what it does best – reset itself overnight.

This will set you up to do it all over again consistently the next day. And consistency creates success.

If you have questions about creating a routine with the best practices for you, reach out! I’m here to help you succeed as an Awake Warrior.