Today, on Redhead Mom, I’m sharing a partnered contributed post about how to make evenings at home feel special.
Evenings at home have a habit of disappearing, don’t they? One minute you’re making dinner, the next it’s almost midnight and you’ve somehow spent most of the time half-watching TV and scrolling your phone. It’s not a bad thing all the time – sometimes you need that kind of switch-off – but if every night feels the same, it can start to wear a bit thin and it could be time to make some change.
The good news is those changes aren’t that hard to make, so with that in mind, keep reading to find out more about how to make evenings at home feel special.
Don’t Let It Start With Chores
The problem with coming home in ‘get stuff done’ mode is that it’s hard to get out of it again, and one job just turns into another, and before you know it, you’ve spent the entire evening ticking things off your list – you might feel like you’re achieving something, but the truth is you’re just wearing yourself out.
That’s why it’s far better to try giving yourself a break when you walk through the door – even ten minutes to sit down and breathe before you start anything else can change things so that you’re enjoying your evening and it doesn’t just feel like another part of your work day.
Make Winding Down Feel Easy
You don’t need a whole ritual (although a lot of people do find that useful), but it’s certainly going to help to find something gentle that tells your body it’s time to settle down. That could be switching off bright lights, putting on soft socks, moving a bit more slowly, and so on.
Some people include special sleep aids in their evening routine, like sleep gummies, essential oils, or herbal teas, for example. These things all include ingredients that help the body relax and sleep better, but on top of that, the ritual of enjoying them is relaxing too.
Bring Back Something You’ve Missed
Think about the things you used to love as a child or younger person that you don’t do anymore because they just got a bit lost and you just got a bit busy. Perhaps it was writing a little, or listening to music, or making something from scratch, or playing a game, and so on. Well, what about bringing them back? That’s a great way to make your evening feel a bit more special and very different to the day you just had.
You don’t have to do these things every night, and in fact, it’s probably best not to because then they’re not so special anymore, and if you do them every now and then you’ll have something to really look forward to. The point is that when you do do them, it can change your entire evening, and you’ll feel better the next day too, so it’s worth thinking about what you could do instead of watching TV or scrolling on your phone. And if there’s nothing you want to bring back from the past, what about starting a new hobby? There are thousands of things you could do, so exploring your options could make a lot of sense.