Bedtime Routine - Oh My Journey

‘to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening; ‘
I Chronicles 23:30

While watching YouTube one day, I came across Beatrice’s Sunday routine. I never considered doing routines before and thought that it was very interesting. I watched her bedtime routine next and opened up my notes app and wrote down what I would like to do to get ready for bed.

This is a print I made of my routine to hang on my wall

I took some of Beatrice’s suggestions such as ‘dim lights, stretch, review planner, and journal.’ Then I added some of my own things such as ‘turning on the diffuser, spraying my hair, and praying.’

Dim lights

Beatrice mentions in her video that, “turning off the lights just makes me feel calmer and more relaxed.” I found that to be true for me as well. I have a small lamp that I bought from Target for $17 that I use and I’ll turn that on around 8-8:30pm to signal the start of my routine.

Diffuser

Next I turn on my Essential oil diffuser that currently has a mixture of eucalyptus, tea tree, and maybe peppermint? These oils promote wellness and easy breathing. Plus I just really love the smell of peppermint.

Music

The final thing I do to set the mood is turn on my bedtime playlist. Sometimes I’ll play a mixture of 24:00 and Bedroom LoFi just to mix it up a bit.

Put things in their place

This is a major part of my list. I have to do this or the following morning is harder because I’ll have to clean first thing in the morning rather than running through my morning routine. There is also something about cleaning that calms me down. Just clearing up the clutter by putting things in their home is so soothing for me and helps me relax.

Stretch

I have been slacking on this a lot. It’s hard to find stretches without it being yoga. It hasn’t been a priority so sometimes I do simple stretches and sometimes I don’t do anything at all. I keep it on the list though because it’s something I know that will help relax me and loosen up my body and keep me healthy.

Finish water

My goal is to drink 32oz or more a day. I have a 32oz water bottle so I know that if I don’t get through the whole thing throughout the day I’ll be chugging it in the evening to meet my goal.

Brush teeth

Nothing to see here, just basic hygiene. I’ve been using a tongue scraper, a bamboo toothbrush, and an essential oils toothpaste. Brushing my teeth helps me to remember to put on my retainer at night which I hate doing for some reason.

Spray hair

I have really dry hair so I spray my roots every night with my diy hair spray which is just Apple Cider Vinegar, Tea Tree Oil, and Peppermint. After spraying I’ll massage my scalp and make sure there are no dry areas.

Review planner

I’ll look over my planner so I know what to expect for the following day and I’ll even add some things or rearrange tasks. I’ve been using TeuxDeux since last November 2020 and I LOVE it!

Journal

I try to journal throughout the day using the notes app on my phone. At the end of the day I’ll add to it or look over what I wrote. I mainly journal to process things or to write down revelations and things that God has been teaching me. It also helps me keep track of my personal growth and answered prayers.

Pray

I write down my prayers and pray through them everyday.

“Define the promises that God wants you to stake claim to. The miracles that God wants you to believe for and the dreams that God wants you to pursue… Verbalize your desires and knowing what to circle.” Mark Batterson

Also scripture tells us to pray expecting:

‘Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”’
Luke 18:1-8

As you can see your prayer can be an area you’d like to grow in or just everyday things. I love seeking God in all that I do.

I try to do all these steps. Sometimes I’ll skip things like the diffuser, looking at my planner, stretching, or spraying my hair. The rest are pretty much staples.

I started off with a bedtime routine because it was easier to implement changes in the evening instead of trying to do something new right after I get out of bed.

Do you have something you do every night as a way of ending your day? Or maybe it’s to make sure you have a great start the following day? I’d love to know about it. Leave me a comment below or send it to me at hello@ohmyjourney.com