The tiniest evening routine to help your nervous system switch gears...
Happy Thursday! Here’s an anecdote, an exercise and an inspiration.
Anecdote: I am pretty good at morning routines and lousy at evening ones. Would I love to read, stretch, sib herbal tea and take a bath before bed? You bet. But by the time we are done with my kids’ extracurriculars and homework these days, I am toast. Frankly, I’ve always been toast at night.
I am experimenting with the tiniest evening routine: a child’s pose after brushing my teeth—sometimes in bed if I don’t want to crouch down on the floor. I spend about 30 seconds, just long enough to signal to my nervous system that we’re switching gears and it’s time to rest. I take a few deep breaths and imagine all my worries flowing down and out of my head.
If you can’t comfortably get your forehead to the floor (or mattress) in a child’s pose, you can use a pillow under just your head or along your whole torso like a bolster, in which case you’d turn your head to one side. If child’s pose doesn’t feel good to you, it can easily be substituted for any number of relaxation postures, or just a couple of breaths with a prolonged exhale. Comment below if you need some ideas. The point is to pick ONE THING that feels relaxing and can be done in under a minute.
Also, I told you a few weeks ago that I’ve started using an Unpluq device to reign in my phone use. I now can no longer open my texts, emails or social media after 8:45 p.m. — and I’m thinking of making the block start even earlier.
Exercise: The exercise in this video is one of my current favorites to do first thing in the morning—but it’s great at any time of day. It gives you high payoff in just about a minute, opening the hamstrings, calves, ankles and feet.
Feel free to experiment with the foot position and try the reverse of what’s shown here. (In the video, I’m pointing my foot on the way up and flexing on the way down, but see how the opposite feels to you, and maybe switch things up.) I also sometimes add a few ankle circles at the top of the movement.
Inspiration: I love this quote posted by neuroscientist Julie Fratantoni, PhD: “Your mind is the house you live in, every moment of every day. When you change your thinking, you change the architecture of your whole life.”
I also love this post on Better Brain by Dr. Julie on combatting what she calls “brain rot” by giving ourselves time to rest and reflect. Note to self: Being bored is good for us. The next time you’re standing in line or sitting in traffic, allow yourself the gift of doing nothing. I’ll strive to do the same.