Before going to bed, make sure you do your bed commandments! What are bed commandments, you might ask? They are the things you MUST do before bed. They are the expectations you put on yourself to ensure that you go to bed the way you want to go to bed!
Make a list of 3-5 things you promise yourself you will do every night before you go to bed.
Don’t waste your list, though. If you already always brush your teeth before bed, don’t add it to the list. Put something different on the list, like wash your face or something else you don’t yet do every night.
Maybe you wish you had more time to read, so read 10 pages before bed.
Maybe you want to do guided meditation. Work that into your nightly routine. You can even use your Alexa or Google or whatever home AI device or smart speaker you may have.
Keep it short!
Make a list of just 3-5 things that will become your new bed commandments. If you feel like your routine already includes everything you want to be doing before bed, try instead to eliminate bad habits at bedtime. One bed commandment could be no snacking in bed or no phone before bed.
Use this chance to hone in on your ability to actually reset your body and mind for what will come tomorrow.
Here are some other ideas for your list:
- Brain dump for tomorrow
- Add fresh oil to diffuser
- Drink some warm water or herbal tea
- Listen to soft music for 10 minutes
- Apply lotion to feet
- Have a short bubble bath
- Remind your kids to go to bed – oh wait, that happens nightly, ha!
- Write in a journal about your top memory of the day
- Do some stretches or yoga
Don’t take your stress to bed!
Don’t make this a productivity list! It’s not about doing the dishes before bed! This is mostly about figuring out how you relax best so that you can efficiently fall into a peaceful sleep.
You may have to spend some weeks tweaking your list and figuring out what truly does work for you. Like I said, it’s not always about adding stuff to your nighttime routine. Try eliminating a couple of things. Keep it simple and minimal. If you can only think of two bed commandments that will ensure you get a great sleep, go with it! Use just those two.
Find your inner Zen and work with it! Sleep is so important – especially in the high strung rat race we all seem to be living in these days!
Home Under Clutter 
I renamed my bedroom my Sleep Sanctuary. It immediately put a restful spin on plain old bedroom.
I’ve also created a Joy Journal. I keep it in my bedside table and flip through it just before going to sleep. It is an 8×12 booklet with clear pocket pages to insert pictures. It is only intended for pictures that move you and make you feel good. No photos of people allowed – I have mostly nature pics, woodland scenes, flowers, animals. It has turned out to be an uplifting and peaceful way to de-stress before turning out the lights.
I enjoy your posts. 😊
LikeLike