Traditional Chinese Medicine Evening Practices to Wake Up to a Good Day

Conquering tomorrow starts by controlling what we do today, or in this case, tonight. Forming an evening routine sets the tone for a successful day. Derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine, start developing healthy evening habits below to help you get ahead of tomorrow.

Fast Past Five (5 PM)

Some of our biggest health problems today can be remedied by fasting at the right time. There’s a time to feed and there’s a time to fast. Skip the dinner to avoid taxing the digestive system before going to sleep. You can also opt for some light soup or healthy bone broth to warm your stomach before the sun goes down.

Disconnect, De-stress, and Detoxify (7 PM)

Wrap up from the office at least 30-minutes before you end work. It’s important to take the initiative to disconnect from these stressors to avoid taking work home with you, or in the case of work-from-home, mixing professional life with personal life.

Spare some time to quiet your mind after a long day of work. Take a relaxing 15 to 20-minute walk to unwind your mind and body. Squeeze in a 10 to 15-minute stretching routine after your walk to help relax and release any pent-up emotions, stress, or tension that may have been stored along your hips, shoulders, and neck during a stressful day in the office.

Relax, Read, Reflect, and Regenerate (9 PM)

Enrich yourself every evening. Cut off time from the outside world or your social media. Pick up a book or tune in to a podcast that may resonate with where you are in your journey. Give yourself half an hour to learn and grow.

Begin to calm your mind. Consolidate and reflect on the events that have happened during your day, assess all the moments that have transpired, learning from them, and letting them go. 

Drink some warm water or a non-stimulating tea such as Chrysanthemum or Lavender. Sleep needs to be the priority. Like your phone, there’s a time for you to recharge. Start prepping yourself to go to sleep before 11 pm but ideally at 10 pm.

As you practice these rituals, remember that it’s not just about how much sleep you get. It’s the habits and behaviors you take before going to bed that will ultimately affect your tomorrow and how you live a healthier life. Cheers to sleeping well and waking up to brighter days!