Intrigued about 5-9pm wellness? Here’s how to enjoy a happy healthy evening routine in under 20 minutes.
It can be an obvious shift that occurs as the clock strikes 5 p.m., or during the commute. For some of us, especially perhaps for those of us working at home, the transition from work to leisure is more nuanced, an inner reorientation and a gentle sense of closure. Knowingly or unknowingly, we need our little rituals to help us lay the day’s work to rest. Once we find ways to switch off, our evening 5-9pm wellness evening routine can become a sanctuary – a time to recuperate from the day and prepare for the next one.
What’s more, the evening is to be enjoyed for its own sake. More than just a slither of unusable time between work days, it can be your opportunity to explore your happiness outside the boundaries of your usual wage-earning work. Let’s commit to valuing our evening time so that we can make the very best use of it! Responsibilities and commitments allowing, we have several hours between 5pm and bedtime – so what is the thing you would most like to be doing?
As well as being an opportunity for fun activities, like letter writing, hobbies or wellness treats, nights at home thankfully offer us the chance to just be.
In the spirit of making the most of your 5-9pm evening wellness, today I want to share some of the ways I add a little wellness to my own 5 to 9pm. I don’t get to do everything every night of course, but I like to think if I can carve out even 15 or 20 minutes on a week day evening for something special, something that feels meaningful to me; I’m winning!
(Extract from the 24 hr wellness book ‘Inhale. Exhale. Repeat’)
6 Short Wellness Ideas To Make The Most Of Your 5-9pm
When it comes to night time wellness, small additions can make a big difference
- Cue up your favourite online yoga class and do a twenty minute session, or simply have a nice stretch on your mat at home. I use a non slip eco friendly yoga mat from Complete Unity Yoga. Dim the lights, roll out your mat, spritz a little aromatherapy room spray, take a deep breath and let go of the day.
- Pop on your sweater, lace up your trainers and head out for a twenty minute run or brisk walk around the block. Fresh air is an instant state changer and really helps me wind down and swap rooms in my mind.
- Try cooking a new and simple recipe. However you like to cook choosing something you’ve not tried before creates a mini mid-week adventure. Maybe that means using a new herb or spice to season a portion of mixed vegetables or trying a new pasta sauce. If you don’t have time to cook from scratch on a week night try batch cooking several meals on the weekend instead. Having your healthy meals tucked away in your fridge freezer and ready to go at a moments notice will give you more room in the evenings. Pre-prepared meal delivery services like Mindful Chef also work well if you’re busy but still love to cook fresh meals.
- Light a lavender candle (Lavender is perfect for creating a sense of calm) pop on your cosiest loungewear and write a thank you note or postcard to a friend. Remember, the fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose and showing appreciation and love to others is a fantastic way to give yourself and your friends a warm, happy glow. Or phone a friend or family member for a quick catch up.
- Do you have a hobby or interest you’re desperate to get into but never seem to have time for? Maybe you want to play an instrument, learn to DJ, be able to speak Japanese or finally finish reading (or writing) that book? Maybe you want to retrain and change jobs? If this sounds like you, swap twenty minutes of TV and social media scrolling for twenty minutes spent pursuing your special interest. Twenty minutes might not seem that substantial, and I mean, you’re not going to be Jimmy Hendrix or Jane Austen after twenty minutes, but you will have begun your hobby – and that’s what matters! when it comes to wellness and creative pursuits every little helps and small steps can make a big difference. As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree is ten years ago, the next best time is today.
- Last but not least, be willing to switch off and relax. It might sound funny to have to learn to relax, but life can be so demanding and if we’re not careful we forget to come back into neutral and get stuck in go mode 24/7. It’s important to give your brain and body a break by having short intentional periods of rest. To help inspire your peace and quiet I’ve included my ‘home time’ meditation, from Inhale. Exhale. Repeat below.
Meditation: Switch Off From Work
(8 minutes)
Take an Easy Seat.
Follow your Easy Breath for a few moments.
Let your body settle in.
Take a little journey in your imagination. (Some people use their inner vision to see themselves doing particular things on their way home, for instance.)
Imagine that you are now making your way to your wardrobe.
It’s been a long day and so much has passed …
Piece by piece, begin to take off your working clothes really thoughtfully, thankful for the things they have seen with you during the day.
Hang up each piece carefully.
Feeling lighter with each item you take off.
Close the wardrobe.
Give it a moment and open the wardrobe again – and you’ll be amazed to find a whole other selection of clothes at your disposal.
Piece by piece, begin re-dressing.
Feel yourself shifting your perspective and beginning a fresh. A new day.
Close the wardrobe and make your way back, in your imagination, to the here and now, in your body, resting, fresh, clean and ready to begin a new part of your day.
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