Coming Home to Myself: The Art of Unwinding by Raelin Bell
My evening wind-down routine is one that I choose to keep very consistent. After a long day at work, I’m typically ready to get home and turn my brain off for a while. After I pick up my kids and give them all the snuggles, I enjoy watching them play for a while before doing anything else. My body literally fills up with serotonin while watching them and that’s what begins to calm me after the workday. I also cook dinner, clean the house and all of that fun stuff every eveningbefore I can really start to “unwind.” That comes with the mom life, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
For me, the real wind-down can begin once my kids go to bed. I always start my routine by taking a nice shower, it’s really the first thing I am able to do just for myself for the day which is a great feeling. I love using shower steamers, they truly help me relax and are used for the purpose of calming. They work well for me. After I shower, I do my skin-care routine and slip into some comfortable pajamas. Next, I like to grab a healthy snack and begin reading a book. I like to try to read for about thirty minutes each night. My mom recently started teaching yoga, and I’ve now added yoga into my night routine, and I love it. Yoga is the perfect unwinding technique. It’s really helped me feel in tune with my mind and body. I like doing my mom’s teachings, but I’ve also found some great videos on YouTube that I have enjoyed doing as well. After I finish my yoga, I usually stay in the living room for a while and watch Netflix and then I will head to bed for the night. Doing my evening/night routine each day helps me reconnect with myself and it gives me something to look forward to in the evenings.
When I created this routine, I done it un-intentionally. I found things I enjoyed doing and then decided that I was going to take time to focus on myself each night. Doing these things for myself makes me a better mom, friend, daughter, and employee. It allows me to unwind and prepare myself for whatever the next day may bring. I’m glad to have found a that works great for me and helps keep me sane during this busy stage of life.
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