Hi Reader!
Self-care is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot.
It sounds great in theory, but most of us tend to see it as a luxury or as something we can start doing once:
โ Work calms down.
โ Life becomes less busy.
โ We have more time.
But the thing we've realized is that self-care isn't something you do only when life is easy.
It's something you need most when life IS busy.
๐ The Most Underrated Form Of Self-Care
When most of us think of self-care, we often picture things like:
๐ Bubble baths
๐ฏ Candles
๐ Spa treatments
And while those things can be lovely, one of the most important forms of self-care is much less exciting:
๐ด Sleep
The older we get, the more we realize how much sleep affects everything.
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Our mood.
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Our energy.
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Our ability to handle stress.
It even affects how positively or negatively we see the world.
๐ญ The Mistake We Think Many of Us Make
It's very easy to spend the entire evening in "go mode."
โ Working.
โ Scrolling.
โ Watching videos.
โ Checking emails.
โ Thinking about tomorrow.
And the funny thing is that we then expect ourselves to fall asleep the moment our head hits the pillow.
But sleep doesn't really work like that.
Most of us need a transition between the busyness of the day and sleep.
โจ What We Do
My sister Linda and I do have evening routines.
Mine is pretty simple:
๐ด I turn off my phone.
๐บ Watch a little TV.
๐ชฅ Brush my teeth.
โจ Do skincare.
๐ช Air out my bedroom.
โผ๏ธ Keep my room cool and dark.
And I try to go to bed around the same time each night.
Sometimes I'll also spend a few minutes reframing a thought that's been bothering me.
Here's an example:
Negative thought:
I should have finished writing those emails today.
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Reframing:
I'll do them tomorrow.
I have more energy in the mornings anyway.
I don't need to push myself so hard.
In the end, I always get my tasks done.
Tonight, I choose self-compassion instead.
Because I do drive myself too hard.
And I can't get everything done all the time.
I'm not perfect.
And that's OK.
It doesn't make me a failure.
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It's one of the simplest mindset tools I've found, and it often helps me go to bed feeling calmer.
๐ฟ What We've Noticed
We've noticed that sleep seems to be affected by how we spend the rest of the day.
When we're active, productive, and engaged with life, we tend to sleep much better.
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A walk.
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Exercise.
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Working on a project.
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Even household chores.
By the end of the day, we feel pleasantly tired.
But when we're stressed, overstimulated, or don't give ourselves time to unwind, sleep becomes much harder.
That's why we've come to see our evenings differently.
They're not just the end of the day.
They're the beginning of tomorrow.
๐ One Thought To Leave You With
If you've been struggling with stress, low energy, or poor sleep lately, try asking yourself:
"How am I spending the hour before bed?"
Sometimes the biggest improvements don't come from adding more to our lives.
They come from slowing down enough to let our minds and bodies rest.
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Now we'd love to hear from you, Reader.
What's one thing that helps you unwind at the end of the day?
โ๐ Hit reply and tell us.
Have a great week,
Founders of Courier Mind
P.S. If you'd like more ideas for creating a relaxing evening routine, we've shared them in the full article below ๐
๐ How to Transform Your Evenings with a Self-Care Night Routineโ
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