Turning Up Your Nighttime Routine

Morning routines get plenty of buzz but whatever happened to the wind-down setup or ritual you create for yourself? For college students, sometimes this really can just consist of throwing your head on the pillow after a long day but it could just take an extra 15 minutes to carve out some extra time for you. Let’s take a look at things you can implement to elevate your night routine:

1. After I close out my work day, the next thing I’ll do is clean my space every night. It makes it so much easier to sleep when I’m in a de-cluttered room. Cleaning also allows me to shut off my brain for 10 minutes while I shuffle things around and re-organize my space. Most times, I’ll even light a candle to really create that ambiance that will help me to calm down before sleep. 
2. For me, a cozy night always starts with a shower. I never like to get into bed without showering. But, also, showering can totally take the form of a shower meditation at the end of the day. Visualizing your stress washing away and yourself being lighter and clearer is such a good way to implant some mindfulness into your evenings. Then, post-shower, I always love to really moisturize my skin since there’s really nothing like getting into bed with smooth, soft skin. 
3. As I’m doing my skincare, which is the next step, I usually love to have a podcast or some calming music. The key here for me is always double cleansing. First, I’ll use an oil-based cleanser, and then I’ll go in with exfoliating pads. Even if I’m not wearing makeup (which is most days), it’s always essential to rub off anything excess that’s gotten onto my face throughout the day. 
4. The next step changes day to day according to how I’m feeling. Instead of implementing some regimen I have to stick to, I carve out some non-negotiables but change the rest night to night. This step is basically just doing something that makes me happy, makes me laugh, or gives me a sense of calm. This could be reading, hanging with my roommates watching a movie, or watching TV by myself in my room. Getting a chance to take some portion of my night to just pure enjoyment has made me really stick to the rest of the structure I’ve created. After this, my phone goes on airplane mood. 
5. Then to portion off the night, I’ll make myself some sort of drink, whether that be tea, electrolyte water (to make sure I’m hydrated before the night), or some sort of juice. I love to have something to sip on as I get into bed. 
6. To set the ambiance, I always turn on my “red” Himalayan salt lamp. You can find these on Amazon. Red light is said to improve sleep, unlike blue light and I feel like it really helps prep my body and eyes for a good night of sleep ahead. 
7. The last step is some sort of visualizing or journaling. I try to do this every night and I find it creates the sleep and the next day that I want. Visualizing for me usually looks like scrolling through Pinterest, creating boards, or looking at my past ones. I basically just think about the things I want in life or the things that inspire me and it puts me in the best, dreamy mood. While I do this, I usually journal as well, jotting down things from my day, thoughts I want to put on paper, or a list for tomorrow if I’m feeling overwhelmed.