If kids can have bedtime rituals, why can’t you? Tonight, be mindful of your bedtime routine and be fully present in each moment-to-moment ritual. Take extra care in brushing your teeth, washing your face, drying your hands, changing into your comfy pajamas, pulling back the blankets, fluffing your favorite pillow, and hugging yourself good night.

Before turning out the lights, read yourself a bedtime story or try to remember one that was told to you when you were a child. Sing yourself a lullaby or a song that you remember from when you were young. When you were little, you likely did silly things to keep the nightmares and scary monsters away. Take five minutes to close your closet door, sneak a flashlight beneath your covers, and retell that bedtime story to yourself or your partner. Think about what or who made you feel safe when you were young. Consider what you could do for yourself tonight to feel protected and secure

• empty your mind

Each of us lugs around a wide array of emotions, troubling thoughts, and painful feelings that can be roadblocks— detours that get in the way of uninterrupted sleep. Luckily, the most basic of actions, breathing, is a powerful compass for navigating your mind, body, and spirit toward a path of inner calm. Tonight, prop yourself up on comfy pillows in your bed and give yourself a few moments to follow this simple meditation to clear your mind and restore inner harmony

• First, envision your body drifting slowly upward like a kite. Feel the wind sweeping you up into a timeless continuum.
• As you inhale, you are breathing in hope and all things good and positive. You are absorbing the exquisite beauty of the skyline and expanding your potential to experience a free, unfettered life.
• As you exhale, you are breathing out bad energy, negativity, and despair.

With each breath you feel lighter and more at ease.

Excerpt from five good minutes in the evening: 100 mindful practices to help you unwind from the day and make the most of your nightby Jeffrey Brantley and Wendy Millstine.