Imagine Yourself…
You are now living the rituals.
You wake eager to start your morning ritual.
You may start the moment your feet touch the floor,
or you might sneak away to another room to be private.
You know what to expect, and so does your body:
you are filled with enthusiasm as you fall into a routine of deep meaning and fulfillment before your day even begins.
You then coax that fire within you throughout the day, keeping it bright, and keeping the doubts at bay or, at least, keeping them moving on.
You then finish your day enveloped in gratitude and joy for your life and the day you just experienced.
You embrace rest with the eager excitement of a child before Christmas and peace of one who’s worked a full day to satisfaction.
This is you.
This is your life now, and you can go anywhere with your enthusiasm shining brightly.
Read on….
The Evening Ritual
So, how are you closing out your evenings these days?
Be honest: is it with the hypnotic glow of the TV, the endless scroll of social media, or that last Netflix episode that turned into four?
We know the blue light messes with our melatonin, but it goes deeper than that.
What are you feeding your brain in those final hours before sleep?
Your mind is in a delicate state, almost like it is in the early morning—prime alpha wave territory. It's a powerful time, perfect for winding down with intention.
This is when many people meditate, pray, reflect, journal, read, or simply prep themselves mentally for the day ahead. Evening rituals vary: some do yoga, some Qigong, some walk with family, and others talk about their day together. These practices are like emotional housekeeping. They help us release the junk from today and refocus on the now, with peace, gratitude, and a hopeful glance toward tomorrow.
Evening should be about readying the mind and body for the restorative magic of sleep. Prepping well for sleep is like laying the groundwork for a dream-fueled recharge. Think: gentle, sacred, slow. Avoid eating too close to bedtime. Ditch the screens and the chaos. Think of this time as the calm inverse of your high-energy mornings. Soothing. Settling. Relaxing. This is your reset zone before surrendering to the depths of rest.
Yoga
Evening yoga is a completely different vibe from the get-up-and-go version you might do earlier in the day. It's not about energizing or toning. It's about letting go—easing tension, calming your thoughts, boosting circulation, slowing your breath, and gently preparing the body to rest. The poses might be familiar, but your approach changes: slower, softer, more attuned. Whether it’s a full yoga flow or just light stretching, find what helps your body melt into rest.
Qigong
Evening Qigong is like gathering your energy inward, collecting yourself before sleep. It can be as simple as mindful breathing or as meditative as a slow body scan, traveling with your attention through each part of your body to bring awareness and relaxation. Just focusing on an area can increase blood flow and calm. Personally, once I hit the bed, I’m out—so I rarely body scan—but hey, you do you.
An Evening Stroll
Earlier in the evening, consider a walk—alone or with someone special. It marks the shift from work mode to wind-down. Nature, movement, deep breaths, and genuine connection. It’s grounding. It clears your mental clutter and brings you back to what truly matters. One of my favorite rituals (even if I skip it too often).
Review & Assessments
What did I get done? What wins did I snag today?
Am I on track for my weekly and monthly goals? Sometimes this brings up stress if the day didn’t go as planned, but it’s also the perfect time to pivot. Decide now that tomorrow will be different. Commit. Let the day go. You can’t fix the past, but you can shape what’s ahead. Acknowledge your stress and setbacks—burying them doesn’t work. They grow. Air them out and put them to bed.
Gratitude Journaling
Do you journal? And more importantly, how? Are you simply recording events, or are you refining your day? Looking back and hunting for moments of gratitude shifts your whole perspective. Stress shrinks. Gratitude expands. Oprah's been saying it for years—five things you’re grateful for, every day. Simple. Game-changing.
This practice even affects how your brain stores memories. Glial cells (aka your brain's clean-up crew) clear out toxins and file away memories at night. Poor sleep messes with them. Gratitude journaling primes them for their best work. Highlight the good. Frame it with growth. It sets the tone for deep rest and an inspired next day.
It’s calming, connective, and beautiful. Even our toughest days find their place in a larger, meaningful mosaic. Over time, you see the magic in the mundane. That’s the start of unstoppable gratitude: recognizing life’s blessings in real time. Make it a reflex. Make it a way of being.
What Time’s Bedtime?
Is there a universal bedtime? Maybe not. But chasing hustle by sacrificing sleep is a slippery slope. Arnold Schwarzenegger might say "sleep faster," but let’s be real: four to six hours a night isn’t sustainable. Exhaustion is stealthy. It creeps in, and suddenly you’re sick, snappy, and scattered. For me, late nights lead to low-grade irritation that warps everything—focus, patience, even how I interpret other people.
My sweet spot? Asleep by 10 p.m., no screens after 9. Miss the slowdown window and the momentum barrels through bedtime like a runaway train. But three nights of good sleep in a row? Pure magic. I wake up before the alarm, buzzing with joy, present with my family, soaking in lyrics, emotions, life.
Still, if sleeping seven to nine hours sounds excessive to you, here’s a twist: try biphasic sleep. Historically, before artificial light, people naturally slept in two chunks. Fall asleep shortly after sunset, wake for an hour or so around midnight to journal, pray, connect, then back to bed. Even literature is full of "midnight hours"—not 12 a.m., but the wakeful pause between first and second sleep.
I once had students read a BBC piece called "The Myth of the Eight-Hour Sleep" about this exact phenomenon. Turns out, our so-called "normal" sleep is more a byproduct of industrial age efficiency than health. Take a second look at your sleep style.
These days, if I wake at 3 or 4 a.m. feeling mentally clear, I follow President Russell M. Nelson's advice: I get up, grab a pen, and listen. What comes through often turns into wisdom I share, or even pages of a book.
And sometimes, during a deep healing phase, you might just need 12-14 hours a night. And that's okay. That’s healing. Time feels different when you’re fully present. So slow down, honor time, and gift yourself enough rest to become truly unstoppable.
xoxo,
Groovy Girl