Seven Things to Do In Your Evenings - Marcus Aurelius
This wonderful little video came at the perfect time to help me create a whole new evening routine with nurturing ideas and reflective rituals that help me feel happier, sleep better, and be more present and centered in my life. One thing I absolutely love is to discover ancient wisdom that inspires me, and I felt immediately excited to share this with you!
Backing up a little, one thing I have is a lovely morning routine that I can hardly wait to get to every single day. I snuggle into my comfy chair, sip on a really good coffee, write in my gratitude journal, set intentions, and gently move into my day feeling grounded and empowered to embrace the moments. For a long while, I have known it would be an incredible gift to myself to have an evening routine that beckoned and embraced me in the same way. However, I found it hard to create compelling rituals and even more difficult to adhere to them! In the wretched arms of the pandemic and the lengthening number of evenings alone, this fall suddenly became the perfect time to create a new, positive evening routine. The evening habits of Marcus Aurelius truly inspired me!
Having a cocktail or a glass of wine at the end of the evening has been my routine for a number of years. It marked the end of a productive day, transitioned me into relaxing, and somehow allowed me to let go of my long to-do lists. I have long loved the ritual of it, and I looked forward to this daily nurturing. During the pandemic, this habit slowly morphed into more of an escape as the evenings of isolation carried on into the fall; far longer than I had expected. I knew on a deep level that I would not find new rituals without opening up time and space for new habits to form.
I got deeply curious about what would appear and intrigue me enough to fill the hours - if I decided not to have that embarkation cocktail for at least a month.
Enter: Sober October. At first, it was a challenge to make it through the moments when I just craved a gorgeous glass of wine. I chose to take that challenging moment and look deeply into what was really driving the urge to have a drink and escape a little while. I sat with my feelings to process whatever came up: sadness, loneliness, regret, some fear. Covid has inspired and forced a lot of personal growth. I saw how wonderful times with my family and friends supported me, how social events sustained me, and adventures inspired me. With all that stripped away, I could see it was hard to just be with me night after night. Slowly, I am finding ways to settle into myself a little more, be mindful, and lovingly begin to accept this imposed alone-ness. I am beginning to gently journal, read a little more, reflect upon and savor my days. I am beginning to appreciate the gifts of this time. I am now sleeping better, eating better, and taking the time for self-care that I have never felt I had the time for.
I hope you too, enjoy this video and find a ritual or two to amplify your evenings, inspire personal growth, and deepen your well-being and happiness.