Sacred Wednesday: How to Practice a Mindful Evening Routine

A good routine can help you feel balanced and in control of your life – which is why most of us have naturally practiced a routine in some way or another. Whether you’re aware of it or not, there is a routine somewhere in the whirlwind of your life that you follow each and every day. Some routines can be more beneficial than others and here are a few tips on how to practice an evening routine that can help you elevate your life just a little bit:

1. Unplug your devices

Before you retire to bed, ensure to unplug all the gadgets that will not be used during the night – this is for the purpose of conserving energy.

2. Tidy up your sleeping space

Tidying up your sleeping space may help in ensuring that you get a good night’s rest. You have to ensure that your sleeping space is clutter-free and without anything else other than the things you need. You can keep items that make you feel safe nearby such as your favourite pillow, blanket, or photo of a loved one.

3. Decrease screen time

Reducing your night-time screen time has been proven to help quite a lot in establishing a better sleep cycle. Avoid having to go on social media before bed; this will be good for your mind. The idea is to sleep with happy thoughts running through your mind and social media is definitely not the place to look for positive thoughts. The more psychological effects of this is that it is very distracting for your mind and as a result, this keeps your brain working overtime by suppressing the creation of melatonin (a natural hormone that helps control your sleep cycle) which subsequently disrupts your sleep pattern.

4. Drink a hot beverage

Having something warm before you retire to bed is a good way of bringing in a sense of mindfulness to your evening. Through this, you will get to notice the warmth of the cup you’re holding and the aroma of the beverage – by paying attention to these small details, you immediately feel a lot more at ease from the stresses of the day.