How’s your evening routine?

We’ve all heard of adopting a morning routine as a way to bring order and focus to your day. Things like brewing a steamy cup of coffee, journaling your daily intentions, a quick full body stretch, or not checking your email as soon as you wake up. 

But you may not be familiar with the evening routine and how it can improve your sleep quality. 

An evening routine is the activity (or collection of activities) you do before bed to signal to your brain and body that it’s okay to start winding down. 

Among my coaching clients who are busy professionals, engaged parents, or active members of their communities, the evening is when all the loose ends from the day flood their thoughts. If you’re like them, you may also find it tough to calm your thoughts and release the day.

When I teach this concept, here are a few practices my coaching clients decide to incorporate in their evening routines:

• Turn down my bed

• Dim lights throughout my house

• Power down electronics like my laptop and tablet

• Tidy my kitchen 

• Take a 15-minute walk around the neighborhood

• Drink a hot cup of tulsi or reishi tea

The purpose here isn’t to have one more thing to do before bed, rather to find something that works for you to calm your mind and ease into restful sleep.