Warning: The title of this post is wildly misleading…!
I couldn’t help but laugh when Arianna Huffington mentioned how everyone who wants to become successful needs to sleep their way to the top on the Ellen DeGenerous Show. I have recently started listening to Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global podcast, and it quickly became obvious to me that she is a bit of a sleep aficionado!
In general, I do not have any problems sleeping (except on Sundays, of course, where I like to sleep in in AND treat myself to a long nap…). However, having listened to the Thrive Global podcast, I realized that I need to add some steps to my – barely existing – evening routine, to improve the quality of my sleep. Thus, enter my new Evening Bliss routine, based on Arianna Huffington’s advice:
- No more phone activity 30-60 min. before sleep. Ideally it should be charged outside the bedroom, so you don’t get tempted to use it before you sleep, ehrm…
- Scented candle and calming music in the bathroom
- Wash off the day with a warm and aromatic shower or bath. I remove my make up in the shower, to make it last longer.
- Put on dedicated sleep wear (i.e. not lounge or sports wear, as I used to)
- Read a physical book (not on Kindle etc.)
I occasionally also do a gratitude exercise before I fall asleep, which is found to work as joy trigger, proven to reduce stress and improve sleep quality.
I took small steps to get into this routine. First, I put out a small notepad on my nightstand for the gratitude exercise. Then, I separate my sleeping wear from my lounge wear. It turned out I basically did not have any dedicated sleepwear, which I saw as an excellent excuse to shop a bit! While I was out shopping, I also got myself a scented candle and a calming shower gel. And then I was good to go.
This new routine of mine is so comfortable and was so natural to get into this summer. However, I must admit that I worry whether I will be able to maintain it when going back to work. Thus, my aim going forward is to do my routine 3 times a week. Anything above 3 is just a bonus.
Hope this inspires you to evaluate and, if necessary, improve your evening routine as well!
BUSBEES
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