Add a simple nightly self care routine!
A simple nightly self care routine is a great way to end the day that doesn’t have to be complicated. Regular self care rituals are not only beneficial, they can help you get a good night’s sleep. If you don’t have much time for self care during the day, creating a simple and approachable nightly routine is one way to make sure that you take time to check-in with your emotional and physical needs to better address your overall well being every day.
Benefits of a nightly self care routine
Self care is more important than you realize. Implementing a small but mighty routine can be an incredible way to get back to pleasure, and a fuller creative and positive life.
Here are some ways a self care routine can help shift your overall well being:
It impacts your physical health
Just as eating good foods and exercising are important to your physical health, adding a self care routine can help to reduce stress, thereby reducing your body’s fight or flight response. When you’re overworked and stressed, your body triggers a physiological response that can manifest in different parts of your body. Taking care to reduce the sympathetic nervous system (aka the fight or flight response) can reduce these physiological symptoms in your body.
It helps your emotional health
When you’re emotionally drained, you push down feelings of anger, sadness, or resentment. Taking the time to recognize and validate your feelings is an important step in good emotional health. Carving out some time to go through your emotions everyday is one part of the self care process.
It helps your mental health
You step more fully into your pleasure
You become more intuitive
Since we know how beneficial self care is to our overall health and well-being, it’s important to start adding it into our daily routine. One of the easiest ways to begin practicing self care is to add it to your nightly ritual. Put it in your calendar! Add it to your planner! Make this small practice a priority in your daily life. It’s easier to add something in at the end of the day when you’re already settling down for the night, but feel free to create a morning time ritual if that works better for your schedule. The goal here is to keep it simple so that it can become a part of our daily routine.
"Baths aid in increasing circulation and can help to release any tension or negative energy you might have collected throughout your day to help you be present in your body."
A simple self care routine that you can add to any nighttime ritual:
Baths
Baths aid in increasing circulation and can help to release any tension or negative energy you might have collected throughout your day to help you be present in your body, and know your energy from someone else’s. To get started, fill your tub up to the right temperature. Add all natural bath salts or a bath soak with essential oils. Seagrape’s Rest + Relax bath soak is a favorite blend for soothing the mind and body after a stressful day, but any bath treat you love is perfect here. I like to take a handful of the soak in my hands and set an intention before adding it to the water. Some of my favorites are: This soak is a devotional practice for self-love. This soak is to help me clear other people’s energy off of me. This soak is to help me invite pleasure into my life.
Next, dim the lights and light some candles. If you want to make this practice more magical, choose one intention candle to work with and light it on the bathside as you’re soaking, calling that particular spell or feeling in. Play your favorite meditation, podcast, or soothing playlist and soak for as long as you need to.
Candles
Candles are an approachable way to create a soothing atmosphere and a great way to welcome sleep. Dim the lights and light a favorite aromatherapeutic candle to make your room smell and feel good. Having mood lighting (remember to also turn your phone off) allows our brains to slow down and relax with the flicker of the soft candlelight. Incorporating a candle into a nightly meditation, bath, or journaling session is a great way to support your intention. For example, if I’m drawing a self-love bath I might also burn a pink candle, or one with heat centered essential oils like Lavender and Orange. Gazing at the flame can also be an incredible way to give your active mind a break. Candle gazing is also an effective meditation and magical practice if you’re hoping to enhance your intuition.
"Preparing your sleeping space will also set you up for dreaming and remembering magical information when you awake."
Journaling or meditation
If journaling isn’t your thing, you can try meditation. Meditation can help to clear your mind and center you. You can download an app like Headspace for free and let it guide you through the meditation process. Again, this is perfect for beginners and there is no right or wrong way to do this.
Sleep
Start your self care routine tonight
Not only will you look forward to this routine every night, you’ll wonder how you have ever lived without it before. Taking care of yourself is the best thing you can do to better show up for yourself and your loved ones in your daily life, so start tonight and tell me how it goes!
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