Why it’s Important to Unwind before bedtime
If you’re a busy working mom or homemaker who burns the midnight oil putting a ton of passion into her side hustle/passion project project, then you know how hard it can be to unwind before bedtime. After the kids are in bed is typically when round 2 of the work begins.
I’m a teacher by day and blogger/YouTuber/content creator by night. Putting my son to sleep doesn’t mean I finally kick back, relax and binge on my favorite Netflix series. Instead it’s my golden opportunity to get to my daily non-negotiables .
One of my non-negotiables this year is writing for at least ten minutes every single day. I also use my night owl hours to create pins, shoot or edit videos, and research or brainstorm blog post ideas.
Doing this type of work into the late night hours made it challenging to unwind before bedtime. Once I finally climbed into bed I had a hard time turning off my mind even though my body was physically exhausted. I realized that I needed to do a small activity after finishing my work, but before getting into bed. I want to share some helpful ideas that will help you switch out of hustle mode, clear and calm your mind so you can unwind before bedtime.
1. Hand Lettering
A few years ago I stumbled into a hand lettering Instagram rabbit hole, and I’ve been hooked ever since on the notion of learning this beautiful craft. I’m terrible at hand lettering but I like to practice every now and then.
This is a perfect activity to help you unwind before bedtime because there’s little to no prep involved and you can get the benefits of calming your mind with only a few minutes of hand lettering practice.
You can even get started with blank printer paper and some Crayola markers, which is what I’ve been using. When you’re ready to step your game up, you can use a guide that will teach you step-by-step how to do hand lettering.
2. Reading
All you need is the right book to pique your interest. My pre bedtime pick is a book with two covers and actual pages in between.
As you prepare for sleep a good old fashioned hard or soft back book can be much better than listening to a book on Audible. Since you’ll want to quiet the noise, and it can be easier to do that without listening to someone else’s voice (In my opinion. My husband who consistently falls asleep with the tv on would beg to differ).
My only word of caution would be to carefully consider what you’re reading. A book that’s teaching you more information about whatever you’ve been up working on the past couple hours probably isn’t the best choice to slow down your mind and prepare you for a restful night of sleep.
I don’t always read before bed, but over the last several months here are some of the books I’ve been reading:
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- My Bible (ESV is my favorite version)
- Kingdom Woman by Tony Evans and Crystal Hurst Evans
- Organized Enough by Amanda Sullivan
3. Writing in a Planner Journal
You may be wondering, “What’s a planner journal?”
Glad you asked! It’s a planner that I use for the specific purpose of journaling.
I so look forward to journaling before bed. It’s such a relaxing way to unwind. I have lots of beautiful notebooks, and I can easily fill up several pages per journal entry.
Because of the temptation to spend too much time journaling, I decided to turn a cheap $4 planner from Ross into a journal. The pre-filled dates are built in boundaries. Once the space has been filled for the day I stop writing because I’m all out of room.
I really don’t want to see any blank pages in my planner journal so this system of journaling is helping me to establish a healthy habit of “getting it all out” so that my mind won’t be all over the place once I’m laying in bed.
4. Nail Care
Giving your nails a touch of extra TLC is the perfect way to unwind before bedtime because it’s crazy quick and super simple. This will work whether your nails are natural or artificial.
Keep some cuticle oil or cuticle balm in your night stand and you can add oil or balm to each nail and spend less than two minutes rubbing it into your nails and cuticles. I especially like using cuticle oil pens.
I purchased empty pens and made my own using jojoba oil and essential oils, but you can also get pens that come pre-filled with cuticle oilThis calming practice is one of my favorites because it’s so quick and simple that you’ll be able to do two activities to help you unwind before bedtime.
5. Have a Warm Drink
Having a cup of tea right after you finish your work can be an easy habit to establish. Here’s what can happen if you make this a part of your routine to unwind before bedtime: your brain will start to get the signal that work is done and it’s time for bed.
If tea isn’t really your cup of tea (see what I did there), you could do a cup of warm water, and if you’re feelin extra fancy throw in a with lemon as an alternative. If
Final Thoughts on intentionally Unwinding before bedtime
This article came from my own need to unwind before bedtime, and I have really been enjoying planner journaling at the end of each night because it’s a way for me to decompress and reflect on the highs and lows of the day. I hope this article inspired you to try something new and take a moment to care for yourself at the end of a long day.
Leave me a comment below and let me know which of these ideas could easily fit into your nighttime routine.
Related post: BEST SELF CARE PRODUCTS FOR BUSY MOMS
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