Day by day you are putting in all your efforts. You are working from morning till evening, just to finish all your tasks for the day? And now you wonder how to have a self-care night routine at home? How do I even make Selfcare time?
- First of all, you are amazing!
- Second, it’s important to pamper yourself once in a while to recharge.
Last time we wrote about a self care morning routine this time we’ll show you how important it is that you have a good bedtime routine before you head off to bed.
You’ll sleep better, wake up refreshed, and you’ll be able to be productive the next day!
+ Don’t forget to take a look at the routine checklist in the end 😉
When Do you Direly Need a Self Care Night Routine?
In the best case, you’d be able to do a self-care night routine every day. Monday to Sunday to stay productive and energized. But who has time for that, right? And sometimes things just happen…
But seriously, we should all take time to pamper ourselves (have to scold myself too). We can only do our best when we are in good shape. Physically and mentally. So here is when you should definitely think about a pamper night:
- Always grumpy because everything feels “too much”
- You feel super drained and tired.
- Haven’t had a self-care day in ages.
- When you love to take care of people or you like to please people. Learn to take care of yourself too.
- If your body is aching all over, because you’ve been working all day.
- When you struggle with falling asleep and it’s difficult for you to wake up in the morning.
Now that you know when you need a refreshing Bedtime Ritual let's Take a Look at the top 11+ Bedtime routine Ideas
Here are 11+ Self-Care Ideas for your Night Routine
1: Turn off your phone
Yes, I really mean it!. How should you destress and enjoy your evening when you know someone could call any second? Of course, I am not talking about calls from your family (though they can also be stressful 😉 ) – I am talking about work calls.
Turning off your phone helps you unwind from work. You won’t get interrupted. And you can enjoy some time with yourself. Plus, according to express.co.uk, it is more likely that you develop brain cancer when sleeping close to your phone!
Here are also tips on how to stop using social media so much.
2: Open your windows
Getting some air into that stuffy room sounds really nice. Especially when you work and live in a one-room apartment!
But did you know that fresh air actually makes you feel revived? According to thriveglobal.com, it is due to the increased Serotonin production as we get more oxygen. If you don’t produce enough Serotonin it could also lead to depression and anxiety (ELAINE TAYLOR)
So opening your window can actually improve your mood! This is a really important factor to feel refreshed and thereby an important step to include in your routine!
3: Do some light stretching, Yoga or Workout
Sore from working all day? A quick stretch helps you relax your muscles and also improves your posture.
I’ve just realized a couple of weeks ago that my posture has become quite bad thanks to hunching over during studying. Applying some back stretches each night helped me improve my shoulder tenseness by a lot. And thereby I also decreased my back pain!
My sister also told me that we have to straighten our arms from time to time as we spent too much time with angled arms!
Having such a beneficial impact on our long-term health I would definitely recommend you to include a short stretch session into your daily night routine! At the moment we like to use Yuuka Sagawa’s Youtube Videos:
4: Journal or Write
While many people include their day planning into their morning routine, you could also include it in your night routine. Planning at night gives you the advantage that you save time in the morning. Also, you can start your day better when all your tasks are planned out and you are ready to go. Of course, you could also journal in a creative way including drawings and stickers.
Or do some freestyle writing.
If you are a hobby author you could also write stories. It is just important that you do not see writing as a responsibility. It should help you relax, not make you even more stressed. (Speaking from personal experience here xD).
Those are great ways to express yourself and to get into a more peaceful state.
5: Craft or Draw something
Another great way to be creative is to craft or draw. Crafting and drawing makes you happier and less stressed ( Jacque Wilson)
And who knows, maybe one day your creations are your next big product idea? Ups yeah don’t think about work.
Number 6: Read a book
One of the most shared “successful people habits” is reading. Is there a better way to not only gain new information but to also enjoy your evening?
The refreshing point here is that you stimulate your imagination. If I read a book about success, I imagine a woman being very productive but also enjoying what she does. If I read a novel, I imagine the characters and how they interact with each other. I would almost compare it to daydreaming. You are adapting the content read to your own perception. If you want to start reading more you can check out the app Bookey, as part of our best self-improvement apps in 2023.
Number 7: Drink tea
Tea is another energetic add-on to your routine. Not only is it hydrating your body, but also has health benefits based on the tea you choose.
Helps against cancer, fat loss, lowers the risk of heart disease
Helps digestion, improves eyesight, detoxifies the body
Reduces inflammation, cancer prevention
Improves memory, balances hormones, anti-aging
Reduces depression and anxiety, eases menstrual cramps
If you enjoy your tea hot it gives you a warm and cozy feeling, while iced tea makes you more awake and refreshed. If you drink herbal tea then please check how many cups are healthy to drink.
8: Listen to Music
One of my favorite things to do before heading to bed is turning on my favorite playlist. Not only does it contain mood-boosting songs, but it also makes me sing and dance like crazy. (Thank you neighbor for not complaining so far!)
9: Watch the stars
Have you ever watched the stars at night? It’s so beautiful and calming! Implementing it in your night routine gives you time to see the world around you. Also, It gives you time to think about everything on your mind and to deep declutter your thoughts. This way your thoughts won’t keep you awake at night and you can have a fresh start the next day.
10: Clean your body - Take a Bath
This one gives you the most refreshing feeling ever. Just imagine how clean and nice you feel after taking a bath and washing all your worries away. I also like to use face masks and creams to get the cooling effect on my skin. Pampering myself is my way to show I love myself. I care for myself. And even if I am stressed I put myself first.
[Read Next]: 6 Essential Self-Care Products in 2020 – Self Love Ideas
Not convinced?
According to pmaonline.com, bathing also benefits your heart health, nervous system and brain, muscles and joints, and much more! So it’s not only good for your soul but also your body!
11. Drink more Water
For my bedtime routine I try to remind myself to drink enough water. It’s super important that we stay hydrated. So before bedtime drink a cup of water.
12. Prep a delicious Dinner
To relax and wind down in the evening I love to cook a simple dinner. Something not too heavy so you can easily fall asleep later. A soup or salad. I also love to try new recipes from all around the world.
13. Take Care of your Skin - Cleanse your Face
I’ve moved to Korea and they take skin care up to a new level. It’s amazing how refreshed you feel after a face cleanse. Your face will start looking fresher. You’ll see fewer wrinkles and you’ll look like you are shining. Here are the 10 steps of the korean skincare routine. (You don’t have to do all 10 steps)
14. Floss in your Self care night routine
Can’t forget about flossing before you go to bed. Your teeth and dentist will thank you. I think not flossing is one of the biggest regrets people have once they start having troubles with their teeth.
15. Meditation or Deep Breathing
Take 5 to 10 minutes to meditate or if that is difficult to slowly, conciously breath. Here is a guided meditation:
16: Invite Friends for a Fun Night Routine Together
You can do a stay over with the girls to pamper yourself and have som fun. Try these self-care activities with your friends:
- Do you hair
- Use face masks
- Go to a Sauna together
- Get your nails done
- Do a Mani-Pedi
- Play games
- Cook Together
- Make your own candles
- Dance together
How do I make Selfcare time?
Often we don’t have enough time for self care. Or at least we don’t make it. Here are tips on how to make time for your self-care evening routine:
- Take some time for yourself. Prioritize it.
- Actively schedule me time in your calendar.
- Create your own bedtime rituals and habits
Your night routine checklist
Here is a Checklist if you need ideas for your next self-care evening 🙂
Wrapping up:
To sum it up for a good self-care night routine you don’t need a lot of money. Find ways to take care of your mental health and your physical health. (Not just on Sunday 😉 ) You’ll get better sleep and you’ll be able to wake up early and more energized. You can spend the time alone or with friends. Which is your favorite idea? How do you pamper yourself?
I love these and while I already do many of them, I have never intentionally made a routine of it. I need to and so appreciate this post!
Thank you so much 😀 Love your travel blog btw. 🙂 Your pictures are amazing 🙂
Love your post and your ideas on self care. I love the fact that you said to turn your phone off because I do that sometimes as well. I did not know you can’t leave your phone close to you as night and it’s not good for your health.
Thank you 🙂 Yeah even though we know we shouldn’t leave our phones close it’s difficult to actually put them away.
I always turn off my cell phone at night. Thanks for the self-care night routine checklist!
Our pleasure 🙂 Thanks for reading
This is an awesome list of suggestions for night time routine – coming from someone who struggles immensely with sleep. Thank you for this wonderful read!
Thank you 🙂 Really appreciate the comment. When I can’t sleep I do relaxation exercises in bed like breathing. ( Only works when my bf doesn’t snore )
So many great ideas, love that you added star gazing and including friends in your self care!
Who knows we might see shooting stars 🙂 Thanks for reading 🙂
Love this! Opening your windows is one of those less glamorous self care routines! ha ha ha… but it’s so true, sometimes self care doesn’t look fancy or posh, it’s the things that actually make a real difference for us. Nice post x
That is true ha ha .. like flossing, not really posh. I think throughout the day we can do little acts of selflove.