My Fall Night Time Routine: Relax and Unwind

Honestly, I have been a stress ball lately, and it has been… not fun. A lot of things have been getting to me, and I can feel how short my temper has been. I am sure I have not been a fun person to be around. I think one of the main reasons this is, is because I have not been taking the proper time for self-care. I just work, write, and sleep. I feel like I am always on the go, and this state of being has been so uncomfortable and detrimental to my mental health. And since world mental health day just passed, I figure I should definitely make sure I am taking care of my own.

I think one of the reasons I have had such a hard time recently is because I haven’t been allowing myself time to unwind and relax at the end of each night. I have been going straight to sleep, where I am not fully resting but quite literally dreaming about work and all the other stressors in my life. It is not conducive to a restful sleep.

So, when I say this is my night time routine, what I am really saying is it is the one I dream of. The one I am planning to start doing from now on.

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Step 1: Shower

After a long day of work, there is nothing else I want to do but curl up in bed. But that doesn’t feel good until I have showered, and I am freshly clean. There is seriously nothing better than slipping into my sheets after I am freshly clean and shaven. It just feels better! Plus, with my delicious smelling shower gel and amazing scrub, I can feel and smell amazing. Of course, right after my shower, I change into my comfiest of clothes!

Step 2: Make a cup of tea or hot cocoa

Now that I am clean and in my pajamas, I want something warm to calm the inside of my body. You know, I never believed it when people said hot tea calmed nerves, but it really does. So making myself a cup of decaf black tea is just what I need to set myself in the right mood.

Step 3: Read

I have said this many times, but reading is… the best. Books are such wonderful worlds to escape into, so as I am slowly loosing the tension from the day, I can fall deep into a story. You can click here to see some stories I have been loving recently!

Step 4: Work on my Blog

I know I need to do this every day or I will get very behind, which will just add another layer of stress to my life. So spending an hour or two each night, working on social media, editing photos, and writing posts is so helpful and necessary. Especially during this month of Blogtober! I had planned on writing every single post in September, and I only wrote 10! So I have been spending every day in October playing catch up.

Step 5: Eat a Snack

At this point in the night, I am starting to get a little hungry after I ate dinner a couple of hours ago. I want something small and sweet. Now, I am not afraid to eat a little ice cream at this point, but this is my dream routine, right? So, I am going to say a healthy snack and say a banana with some peanut butter. It is delicious, sweet, and the perfect size for this time of night.

Step 6: Watch some TV

Okay, it is getting pretty late, so it is time to watch some TV and let my mind stop thinking. I know a lot of people struggle to watch TV before bed because of the blue light, but I have never had a problem. This time of year, I tend to go for something a little spookier or magical. Right now I am watching Bates Motel, which is… dark… and twisted. So, before bed I will watch an episode or two, depending on how much time I have.

Step 7: Turn off my Lights and Fall Asleep

By now, my eyes are usually drooping. After a long day, and some time to unwind, I am ready to slip into dreamland. Of course, I don’t actually dream that often but you get what I mean.

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Okay, I said this was the goal for night time routines, and I think writing it out has made me want to do it all the more. Starting tomorrow, I am going to dedicate myself to ensuring I have this time to unwind before I go to sleep. I just know it is going to do wonders for my mental health, and maybe I will stop clenching my jaw so much at night.

Bonus, a good mental health boosts your immune system, which is a little important right now!

Let me know in the comments below if we do anything similar in our night time routines. I would love to know!