Life can be stressful and overwhelming at times, so it is important that you protect your mental health. Taking an evening to yourself to be calm, clear your mind and refocus could be exactly what you need when you feel like life is a bit too much. Even if things are going well for you, making time for self-care is important. Protect Your Mental Health Whether you get a chance to have a whole evening to yourself one a week or month, make the most of it when the opportunity arises.
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Cook Your Favorite Meal
The best start to your relaxing evening routine is with your favorite meal. Make sure you have all the ingredients in advance and take some time to craft a dish you have been wanting for so long but haven’t gotten round to making. If you aren’t much of a cook, get a takeaway from one of your favorite local restaurants.
For those of you who are bored of your own cooking, try some new feel good foods that you can make over and over. Have a nice drink and a magnesium supplement to become even calmer, as studies suggest they can have a beneficial effect on feelings of anxiety. Treat yourself to something delicious and nutritious and you will already feel great.
Do Some Light Exercise Protect Your Mental Health
After your meal, you might want to take some light exercise to clear your mind. Something like a light evening walk, some gentle yoga or stretching will help you to shrug off any negativity from your day and feel refreshed.
Exercising in the evening will also help you to sleep better, so you can really make the most of your evening of relaxation. You might prefer to do this before eating if you are planning on eating a big meal, or it could act as the perfect way of helping your food to settle.
Make Time For Things You Enjoy
Now is a great opportunity to spend some time doing things you enjoy or find relaxing. Perhaps you have a series you have been wanting to finish, you love to sew or you want to make a start on a jigsaw. You could continue your evening of delicious food to bake something lovely. This is about making time to do something that simply makes you happy, without worrying about anything else. If you have an interest in learning some new mind skills you can enroll yourself in stage hypnosis training to astonish people with your tricks..
If you haven’t in a while, you could use this time to catch up with friends and family. This could be a quick text or a long video call, but it is important to stay connected to those around you, especially during difficult times. They might need the call just as much as you do, so make the effort to stay in touch.
Take A Long Bath To Protect Your Mental Health
Once you have spent a while doing things you enjoy, you can start to fully relax. I believe there is no better way than with a long, hot bath. Run your bath with your favorite scents, including lavender, eucalyptus or geranium for the ultimate calming experience. Lighting a few candles won’t do any harm!
You can utilize this time to make a good start on a new book. There are plenty of self-care books out there, which help you to process your thoughts and learn to look after yourself. If this is something you might find useful, reading it as you enjoy a bath will help to make the experience all the more useful and insightful.
Meditate Before Bed To Protect Your Mental Health
Once you are fully relaxed, get ready for bed and follow a short guided meditation session. You can find them on YouTube or through apps and they are so fantastic in helping you to focus on your breath, dissolve negative thoughts and fully relax. You can choose from different programs depending on how long you have, making it accessible no matter how tired you are.
It will help you to fully drift off and get an amazing night’s sleep. Aim to be asleep around 8 hours before you need to get up the next morning so that you feel fully refreshed.
Final Thoughts
You should feel the benefits of your relaxing evening the following day, but why stop there? Try to incorporate a couple of these activities throughout the week every week, or even once a night. You might cook yourself a delicious meal every Friday containing feel good foods, take a nice bath every Sunday and start meditating every night before bed. Rather than trying to make it through each day, start making time for the things you love and that relax you and your life will completely change for the better.
