“Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.” ~ Alice Walker
Are you exhausted by the end of the day and looking for some inspiration? Do you end up scrolling on social media or watching television and feel disappointed that you don’t feel any better? If you want to feel rejuvenated after a long day but are too tired to think of what to do, cultivating an evening practice will support, uplift, and nurture you!
Crafting time to connect with yourself after a long day and nurture yourself will support you in feeling refreshed and ready for the next day. When we go to sleep feeling overwhelmed and anxious our sleep is affected, and we often wake up feeling frazzled and unsettled the next day. Developing an evening practice can empower you to intentionally close the day with self-compassion and self-love, helping you feel more confident and inspired in the morning.
As with all the self-nurturing practices I share, I invite you to explore and experiment to see what nurtures you and create a practice that is compassionate, loving, and sustainable. Remember that the intention you bring to the activities is what makes them nurturing, so bring a spirit of love for yourself when you engage in the following activities. When cultivating an evening practice, start with one or two practices and then you can add more as you notice the positive ripples in your life.
Self-Nurturing Evening Practices:
- Lovingly care for your body. Begin your evening practice by treating yourself and your body with love and kindness. Repeat affirmations or empowering mantras like “I love my body” and/or “I am grateful for my remarkable body and all it does for me,” when washing your face, brushing your teeth, putting on lotion, and preparing for bed. Showing your body love and sending empowering kind messages to yourself will help you befriend your body and help you relax and reset before bed.
- Stretch and practice restorative yoga. Before getting in bed, move your body, stretch, and bring attention to what your body needs. If you are feeling tightness in your body, choose to stretch. If you need to relax and rejuvenate, practice some restorative yoga like legs up the wall or child’s pose to support your body. To deepen your practice of befriending your body, bring loving attention to each part of your body with a body scan and your loving mantra. Start by bringing your full awareness to your toes and then move to the next part of your body until you arrive at your head. This is an excellent practice to increase self-awareness and strengthen your ability to let go since you will be bringing your full attention to each body part and then letting your attention go before moving on to the next part of your body. When you add your kind mantras and gratitude to this practice you will reinforce your loving relationship with your body and yourself.
- Journal. Giving yourself ten minutes to journal in the evening can support you in processing your day, highlight what you are grateful about from the day, identify how you feel and what you need, release your overflowing “to do” list for the night, and offer space to reconnect to what is important to you. When you go to bed with all the worries and concern from the day floating in your head, it can be difficult to fall asleep. Journaling is an empowering way to honor yourself and deepen your self-awareness. When you engage in this process with self-compassion, like an encouraging friend to yourself, you will be able to affirm your feelings and needs, focus on your strengths, and learn from your experiences. Try putting a timer on and writing as a stream of consciousness for ten minutes, not editing or judging what you have written. With compassion, read over what you have written, acknowledge yourself, and invite closure for the day. You can create a list for what you want to follow up on in the morning and then close your journal.
- Celebrate yourself. Instead of focusing on all that needs to be done at the end of the day, create a “done list” and celebrate yourself! Choosing to celebrate the steps you have taken in your day will reinforce your value and highlight what you find meaningful in your life. One way to practice acknowledging yourself is to ask what went well in your day and why. As you recognize your efforts, no matter how big or small, you will deepen your confidence, belief in yourself, and self-worth. When you feel empowered at the end of the day, you will feel more energized and refreshed for the next.
- Meditate. Taking time at the end of the day to nurture and reconnect with yourself through meditation will help you fall asleep with more peace and ease. There are many ways to meditate and connect mindfully with yourself with curiosity, compassion, and nonjudgement. You can start by following your breath as it moves in and out, feeling the movement in your chest. You can place your hand on your heart and add a mantra to this practice. On your inhale you can say in your mind I breathe in love and compassion and on your exhale, I breathe out love and gratitude. If you find guided meditations helpful you can use an app like Insight Timer, CALM, or find a meditation on You Tube. When you meditate and intentionally reconnect with yourself at the end of the day you will feel more grounded, centered and relaxed. You will remember that in this moment all is well and that you have the ability to remind yourself of this beautiful mantra at any time.
Cultivating an evening self-nurturing practice will transform your life and support you in becoming the artist of your own life. As Anthony J. D’Angelo reminds us, “The greatest gift you can give yourself is a little bit of your own attention.”
When you end the day intentionally with your love, kindness, and compassion, you will feel renewed, reset and rejuvenated for the coming day. And remember you deserve your own kind attention! When you invest time in your day to nurture yourself, you will create beautiful inspiring ripple effects in your life.
Start small and give yourself permission to cultivate an evening self-nurturing practice, as you nurture peace in the world from the inside out!
Sending you so much peace, love and gratitude, Kelley
