It’s Monday…again – that seems to keep on happening doesn’t it? I got to thinking last night (I’m in a Carrie mood today clearly) about my favourite things to do when I get in for the night from a long day, the things that help me unwind, and I realised that not only do these things make me feel great but they are also genuinely good for you and your skin. Here are my top 5 post work wind down activities –
Eat dinner as early as possible – since my baby brother, who is now 7 was born, as a family we started having our evening meal anytime between 5:30 – 6:30. Crazy early I know, but it’s actually a much healthier time to eat, and now I feel sluggish and bloated when I eat out later. I always try and have my evening meal around that time, not only is it when I’m hungry anyway, but I feel lighter the next morning. If you get home from work at 7pm try and eat ASAP instead of waiting around until 8 or even 9! I promise you you’ll feel better for it, children and old people have the whole early dinner thing down!
Get cosy ok so this one is pure indulgence, but I love nothing more than putting on my Rosie for Autograph cashmere lounge sweatpants and cardigan when I get home, it instantly relaxes my muscles and I feel ready pottering around with my emails/watching tv. I don’t get into my pyjamas until just before bed as I like to associate those with sleep – I find psychologically changing into them helps me get to sleep sooner.
Remove all your makeup ASAP cleansing as soon as you can means that all the dirt and sweaty makeup is instantly replaced by your lovely skincare which can have extra time to work. I’ve always removed my makeup as early as I can to rid my skin of all of the gunk that has built up over the day – think of the tube rides, the sweat, the pore clogging SPF sitting atop your skin, you wont be able to fully relax until it’s all removed after thinking of it like that! A nice cleansing balm always makes the process more enjoyable.
Light a candle The very act of lighting a candle instantly calms my mind and makes the ambience of any room go from hectic to calm. My personal favourite are from Diptyque but Zara Home make some more affordable options which smell divine, and you feel less guilty about burning them for elongated periods of time!
Technology free zone pre sleep I have a cut off point, around half an hour before I want to go to sleep, where I put my phone on silent and on charge and try not to look at it. I like reading a magazine/my kindle or catching up on some tv, I’ve just finished House of Cards and am now onto the new season of Scandal (not as good as previous seasons). I not TV is technically technology, but I’m referring to laptops/ipads and phones. There’s no need to check twitter/emails/instagram one billion times before bed, and the bright screen can really distort you sleepy feelings and make you restless (like my scientific lingo?)!
Anyway, if there are any tips that I’ve missed drop me a line below and let me know what you’re favourite wind down techniques are!
Great post, I’m very jealous of you cashmere cardigan and trousers, I think I just might have to invest they sound so great! I wrote a similar post on how I wind down from the working day, there a couple of extras you might enjoy. X
Faultlessvanity.blogspot.com