Creating your own unique ritual for bedtime is critical because it can help us feel grounded and balanced before we fall asleep at night. Rituals can also help us feel more optimistic and healthy as they outwardly demonstrate our inward values and remind us to take care of ourselves. Here are some examples of ways you can curate your own bedtime rituals, reflective of your individual needs and personalities.
To wind down from a long day, you could either take a short walk, meditate and/or do some yoga. This will allow your body to prepare for a deep sleep as well as give your mind the peace and quiet it needs to start to reflect and relax. If you choose to go on a walk, put in some headphones and listen to more atmospheric and chill tunes to get your mind in that rhythm. Go somewhere that won’t be busy, preferably somewhere surrounded by nature if you can, to get more grounded and be put in a more peaceful mindset. If you would like to do yoga, I would recommend the wide-knee child’s pose (balasana), Standing forward bend (Uttanasana), Standing Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana) at the wall, Reclining Bound Angle (Supta Baddha Konasana), Legs Up The Wall Pose (Viparita Karani ), Corpse Pose (Savasana), Legs on a Chair Pose, Waterfall pose, Happy Baby pose, Twisted Roots pose and finally the Sleeping Butterfly pose. All of these poses will promote a more restful sleep, decrease anxiety and will allow you to get into a peaceful mindset. If you choose to do some meditation, I would recommend meditating for 5 to 20 minutes in a quiet room. Meditation can increase melatonin and serotonin, reduce your heart rate, decrease blood pressure and activate the part of your brain that controls sleep, promoting falling asleep faster and having a more restful sleep.
In the evening it is also important to cleanse any negativity away so you can go to sleep feeling calm and optimistic. Taking a hot shower or bath can do just that, but also provide the space to reflect on your day and what you want the following day. I recommend taking a hot bath so that you can add aromas from salts, oils or bath bombs to enhance your relaxation. Scents such as lavender, cedarwood, bergamot, vanilla, sandalwood or jasmine will help ease anxiety and relax you. After your shower or bath, put on some cozy pajamas and lay out your clothes for the next day. This will help you get excited for the next day as well as reduce stress about getting ready on time for whatever event you have planned the following morning. This is also the ideal time to do your hair/skincare routine, make a bedtime tea such as chamomile, valerian root, or lavender and take your bedtime supplements like melatonin, valerian root and magnesium.
After you are physically prepared for bed, it is time to mentally prepare for sleep. At this point, I would recommend either journaling, reciting affirmations, making a to-do list for the following day or doing a tarot spread. Journaling can allow you to reflect on your day and what you want to accomplish the following day. Journaling is great for relieving stress as you can forget about your worries after you have written them down. Reciting affirmations is also a way to release negative thought patterns and form new neural pathways for positive thoughts that strengthen personal beliefs and aspirations. To do this, choose an affirmation that you feel corresponds most to what you need or want. An example of a good affirmation is: “I give myself permission to rest my eyes tonight and wake up refreshed tomorrow morning. I am allowed to drift into a peaceful night’s sleep and have positive dreams. My body, mind and soul are worthy of their rest.” Or alternatively: “May my sleep be peaceful and uninterrupted. May my dreams be filled with love and positivity. May my soul awaken to the infinite possibilities for happiness and joy in my life.” Repeat your affirmations slowly and mindfully, until you believe them wholeheartedly;feeling the energy of the words as you say them. In addition, creating a to-do list for the following day will allow you to visualize what you need to do as well as prioritize and plan for it, which in turn will help with feeling less stressed and ready for the morning to come. Doing a tarot spread can help release the energy you have been carrying around all day, reflect on the day and tune in with your thoughts and feelings. A simple bedtime tarot spread I would recommend is laying out six cards. The first will show the energy you are carrying from the day, the second is how you can release that energy, the third is something you can reflect on from the day, the fourth is how you could have been more mindful that day, the fifth is how you can make tomorrow great and the sixth is a symbol to pay attention to in your dreams that night.
After you have prepared your body, mind, and soul for sleep, turn on an essential oil diffuser with any of the scents previously mentioned, hang up a dreamcatcher, turn on some ambient sounds such as rain or ocean waves, lay crystals under your pillow such as amethyst, howlite, moonstone, rose quartz, lepidolite, selenite or celestite to receive vibrations that resonate with your sleep cycle, set your alarm, turn on off your electronics and have a good and restful sleep.
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