Healthy Evening Rituals Are the Key to Less Stress Better Sleep

The evening ought to be a time for self-reflection, self-care and relaxation. At the end of a hard day at work or around the house, it should act as a natural period of rest before the craziness resumes tomorrow. So why is it that so many people spend their evenings stressed, fidgeting in front of a computer screen or tossing around in bed? 

One reason for this unrest could be a lack of evening rituals. If you haven't set aside dedicated space and time for self-care routines, you allow your brain to wander wherever it chooses - often, to places that are neither productive nor calming. This not only adds stress to your day but can also affect your sleep in negative ways, paving the way for an anxious day tomorrow. It can be a vicious cycle. 

In this post, let's explore a few healthy evening rituals to help you relieve stress and sleep better. 

Practice Positive Reflection

As mentioned, the evening should be a time of self-reflection. Amid the humdrum of a busy day, it can be challenging to conceptualize things, to make sense of things. The evening affords you the opportunity to look back at the day's events with clear hindsight. 

Focus on the positive. Keep a bedside journal and make a habit of listing three things you were grateful for each day. They can be small occurrences, quiet breakthroughs or big life moments. Doing so can help you treat each day like a gift. 

Take Care of Tomorrow with Goals and Preparations

Often, you aren't the best version of yourself when you wake up. You are bleary-eyed, tired and deficient in both nutrients and water. In other words, it's the worst possible time to make impactful decisions. 

Do "morning you" a favor and prepare in advance. Each evening, make a list of goals for the following day. They can be professional or personal. Also, prepare your morning routine: choose your outfit, arrange your work bag and pre-make your breakfast. That way, when you wake up, you can start the day with ease and structure, removing stress from your morning. 

Sip on Adaptogens

To facilitate your evening of calm and relaxation, make yourself an adaptogen tea. Adaptogens are natural herbal pharmaceuticals that can counteract the physical and emotional effects of stress. Instead of reaching for a glass of wine, brew yourself a lion's mane tea, chaga drink or reishi smoothie. 

Regularly drinking adaptogens may help you feel less stressed not just in the evening - but throughout the day too. Best of all, you don't have to go foraging for exotic mushrooms to enjoy adaptogens; just visit Rritual Superfoods and explore their selection of powdered adaptogens. 

Swap the Blue Light for a Book

Lastly, when it's time for bed, put away the phone and pick up a book. Research shows that blue light can disrupt your body's natural circadian rhythm, making it more difficult to fall asleep. Since sleep quality is tied to overall health and wellbeing in several ways, it's in your best interest to make the change. 

Roughly two hours before bed, make it a ritual to power down your phone, brew a mug of reishi mushroom tea and settle into a comfortable chair with a good read. 

Don't sleep on your mental health. Create an evening routine that works for you, and wake up feeling lighter, calmer and better rested.