Today Chloe and I are sharing with you how we care for ourselves each night!
CHLOE JONES:
I grew up in a military family and I love routine, and structure and predictable patterns. They make me feel safe and cozy and now that I’m learning how to actually adult well to achieve my audacious goals in life a bedtime routine is making a reappearance.
I’ll be honest. This is STILL a work in progress. I started 6 months ago, writing out my ideal bedtime routine. I soon realised that the first draft was stupid. Downright ridiculous. There was no way I was going to be able to achieve all that every night. Draft #2. Better, still a little ambitious but at least I made it through at least half most nights.
I then learned that the point of the bedtime routine isn’t to feel accomplished before I go to bed. That winds me up, preps me for the next task. Those tasks are much more suited to a morning routine. So again, we adjusted. I’m currently on I don’t know what draft number because I threw out the paper. BUT! These are the things that help me settle into a good nights sleep so I’m ready to adult hard the next morning.
1. I limit my alcohol intake.
If you’ve been following our adventures at Primary Petals for any length of time, you would have realised that I LOVE a solid cocktail. The craft of bartending is something to celebrate. Much like the art of cooking. Drinking too much booze before bedtime limits your bodies ability to hit REM cycle and is not exactly helpful in the hydration department. I recommend that you enjoy your glass of vino when you first get home or with your meal and limit yourself to water or decaffeinated tea after dinner.
2. Do the damn dishes
I really dislike washing dishes. But I have learned that it is so worth it to make sure they’re done before I go to bed. Get them washed and in the rack with no second thoughts or they might just be there for days. After dishes, I wipe down the counters, prep a load of laundry, sweep the floors and then pop on the kettle. These few actions help my brain begin to wind down, I’m indicating to my body it is time to relax, the work has been done and now while the water boils, I start the shower.
3. Don’t rush the bathroom
I love a freaking long shower. And I know that this isn’t exactly the most environmentally conscious decision in my life but my days of short showers are behind me. I light a candle, turn off the lights, crank up the hot water - probably not the greatest choice for my skin but 🤷- and then soak the day away. I breathe in the steam, get nice and soapy and let my thoughts wander until they get quiet.
4. Tea time
This step doesn’t always happen but I like it when it does. I have a few floral non-caffeinated teas in my pantry and I love Relaxer from Fiesta Tea. It’s a loose-leaf tea, so you’ll need a fun little tea diffuser - like these adorable animal ones! I also like making chamomile tea with dried flowers from my garden.
5. Dim the lights
With my tea in hand, snuggled under the covers with my big love bug dog hogging the bed, I watch a short light-hearted episode of something from one of the many streaming services I have on the Ipad. My recent go-to has been Schitt’s Creek. It’s so damn funny.
We recently got a google home and I’ve been exploring all the nifty features it adds to my life. Like I don’t NEED it but it sure is fun! We also bought the Phillips hue smart light bulb, which I later realised needed some other smart device to connect to my google home but the lightbulb has it’s own app so we jerry-rigged that smart device disaster! The app has a routines feature, so I set my bedtime for about 5 minutes after my episode will end and the app will slowly dim the lamp until it turns off at the selected bedtime! Seriously this has been the most lifechanging thing for my bedtime routine, that slow dim really helps my mind shut down and prep for bed.
CARLY WILLIAMS:
As I’ve gotten older, the bedtime routine is a ritual I value deeply. I have noticed that by taking the margin of time to unwind after a long physically or mentally exhausting day gives my tank a bit of time to be refilled and refreshed. By going to bed early, it allows me to wake more easily the next mornign and start my day on the right foot.
1.) Dim the lights
Similar to Chloe, I need the lights to be dimmed for my anxiety to begin to subside. By turning off the lights, I find that it creates a sense of calm in my bedroom and in the home. The dim lights tell my physical body that it is time to consider shutting down.
2.) Take My Makeup Off
I have tried so many times to wash my face twice a day but I end up breaking out! So I wash my face with Eminence in the morning and take my makeup off with THESE makeup wipe and then moisturize before bed.
3.) Floss your teeth
I obviously brush with my most valuable possession (half-joking) my Sonicare. But I also floss. This is really helpful for me because I get cavities between my teeth if I’m not careful! This leaves me feeling refreshed when I wake up and not like I got hit my the hangover train the next morning!
4.) Tidy The House
One thing I CANNOT skip is tidying the house. As mentioned above, I have found that found starting your following day the next before will be your biggest asset. It sets you up for success and keeps my anxiety levels stable. When you pick up your room, do the dishes, etc. It sets you up a fresh start to the day. It works like a charm for me!
5.) Take Magnesium Citrate
As you have probably gathered, my default mental state is anxious. My brain runs a mile a minute and I often just lay in bed and think/worry/think more about WHATEVER my mind grabs onto. My incredible grandma Lucy told me about Magnesium Citrate. It helps a mirage of things but ultimately helps my nervous system relax and sleep better at night.
