The fast pace of life often causes us to lose touch with ourselves by the end of the day. We feel so overloaded and exhausted that watching TV, scrolling social media or the internet is all we want to do. The thing is, doing these things actually stimulates our mind—not the best strategy for a good night’s sleep. Instead, try to end your day with a calming activity or two. Research says it’s your best bet to beat those wakeful nights. Here are some tried and true ways to unwind your day.

A new twist on gratitude
Everyone touts the benefits of gratitude journaling and for good reason. It shifts you into a high vibe mindset. Here’s a new twist. List three to five things that you are grateful for and make sure you pull out the wins. Feeling grateful for your neighbor who helped you fix your fence. That’s a win. Or, how about the volunteer gig you did at a local school. Another win. Thankful for your friend who gave you the perfect solution to a long-time challenging situation. Again, another win. Now your list is a winning combination of gratitude and accomplishment.

Lavender aromotherapy
Lavender naturally promotes sleep. And the good news is, it comes in many forms. Essential oil for a diffuser, soothing skin lotions, sprigs from a plant, essential oil sprays, and herb tea. It’s just the nicest way to wind down. Especially when you use this heavenly aroma while doing some light reading.

Evening Pages
Turn your morning pages into evening pages, by free writing your reflections of the day. Let your pen flow, no need for correct grammar or spelling. No right or wrong way to do this. Anything goes. Try for three pages. It’s a nice way to get any lingering, troublesome thoughts about the day out of your head. If you want to know more about morning pages, which is a stream of consciousness free-writing practice, check out the Artist’s Way.

Bed-time yoga
Do a yoga practice that is designed for right-before-bed. Lot’s of good stretching will get your body ready for a restful night. If you do this routinely, it will actually signal bedtime to your body and make you feel sleepy. You’ll find lots of choices on-line.

Recap your day
This is a simple visualization technique that helps your mind move into restful sleep. Do this sitting up in bed right before you turn off the light. Close your eyes and review everything you experienced throughout the day, starting with when you first woke up, to the present moment. This technique is about reviewing your day in a detached way. Try not to judge or get hung up in any of your experiences.

More tips

Create a wind-down treasure chest
Fill a drawer or basket with your wind-down materials. Magazines, journals, lavender essential oil (which you can simply rub under your nose), lovely smelling hand creams, cool pens, articles you’ve clipped to read, poetry, a small sketch book for doodling or drawing, This will entice you to get started each night on this lovely bedtime routine. I find myself looking forward to opening my drawer and choosing what I want to do. You can get creative about what you tuck in there. Anything that is soothing, and helps you end your day on a high note by reconnecting with yourself. Start with a few minutes, but work up to at least 30 minutes.

Take it outside
Of course if you can wind-down outside, you’ll get a double-dose of goodness. Create a cozy, private spot with pillows, blankets, and a basket of wind-down materials.