Three Ways to Create an Evening Ritual

A ritual is a powerful part of any wellness practice. There are rituals surrounding just about every element of your day to support your goals and intentions throughout it. One of the most satisfying and, in my opinion, necessary rituals is the evening ritual. It’s a way to transition away from the outside world into the safe space of your home and set the tone for the evening.

Approaching my wedding, I’ve come to hold my rituals near and dear to me. They help provide centering, balance, and grounding energy in my life. Being in tune with myself and my health has allowed me to feel expansive and connected during this new season of my life.

When setting the intention for an evening ritual, I find these three steps very useful. Please keep in mind that these are supposed to be easy. Don’t overthink it! There’s enough stress in your day, this should be an antidote to it.

Set your space.

One of the ways I like to cultivate a new ritual is by anchoring it to something I already do. Another way to tell your body that it’s time to begin your ritual is by rooting it in a particular area. Clear a space in your home that is sacred to you and make that your ritual space.

You may also want to set a time. When you see that it’s 7:20pm, you’ll know it’s time to start easing into your ritual. Our bodies are incredibly adaptive and receptive; pretty soon, your body will know when it’s time.

Create a list of things you’ll do during your evening ritual, like meditating, journaling, or reading a chapter of a book. You don’t have to do them all every day. Give yourself some choices and ask yourself what feels supportive to you in the moment.

It may also help to burn a candle or incense. Palo santo and white cedar are wonderful scents to help you relax. Scent is so powerfully linked to memory; when you smell these scents, you’ll body will automatically be put in a calm state because it associates them with your calming evening ritual.

Make it a priority in your day.

Hold this time sacred to yourself and make a commitment. It is a necessity in your day, not a “would be nice to do” in your day. So, make it a priority. I’m just as guilty as the next woman of saying, “Oh, that’s just something I told myself I’d do, I can skip it today.” Once you commit to yourself and continue to practice this ritual, you’ll find yourself craving it.

If you live in the same place with someone else, gather support from them. Talk to your family about why this is important to you and how it’s beneficial to everyone that you have uninterrupted time for your evening ritual. Enlist the help of your spouse to be the go-to person during that time so you can wholeheartedly focus on yourself.

Support yourself with herbs.

Since this is your evening ritual, things that will help your body and mind relax are a must. That means no screens! If you like to read, make it an actual, honest-to-goodness book with real pages and all.

This is a great time to bring supportive herbs into your daily life. Herbs are a wonderful way to generate wellness and support your mental and physical health. Passion flower has a mildly sedative effect. As such, it may help with mild anxiety and depression to counteract insomnia. It’s also known for its anti-inflammatory effects.

My favorite beverage to have during my evening ritual is Lavender Mint Dream. This tisane is completely herbal and contains no caffeine. It’s a calming blend of Peppermint, Lavender, Chamomile, and Honeyroo, a blend of rooibos and honeybush.

Peppermint is wonderful for increasing blood flow. It’ll help muscles relax and and clear up headaches. Lavender also supports the body against headaches, mild anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, mild depression, and minor digestive problems.

I recommend drinking Lavender Mint Dream an hour before you’re ready to go to bed to get the most relaxing and restful qualities of the lavender. While I may be a bit biased, it really has helped bring harmony to my mind during the wedding planning!

After your evening ritual, don’t go back to your day. In other words, don’t do all this centering and calming work only to open up your computer and answer emails from the boss. An evening ritual is a way to signify the end of the day and beginning of your evening. Slip into a restful energy so you can feel like you’re home, both in your physical house and your body.