After a long day, it can be hard to get your mind to stop running and your body to stop moving. Without a strategy to tackle this, relaxing feels like an impossible task, especially when your mind is running at full speed with choreography, to-do lists, and homework. Falling asleep whenever you can seems like an okay solution, but getting enough sleep and rest is important for your mind and body. This downtime helps you achieve your dance goals, remember what your homework was about, and learn faster.
Consistency
Keep your nighttime routine as consistent as possible. While your evening tasks and obligations change day to day, setting a schedule for when the day ends and a series of wind-down tasks can help switch your brain into relaxation mode. Take a shower. Read a chapter of a book. Do your skincare routine. Having a few tasks that you do consistently every night (and ideally at the same time each night) makes winding down a process rather than a demand for your brain.
Stretch It Out
Sometimes your body just doesn’t get the memo that it is time to go to sleep. Maybe you’re thinking about the dances you must learn or have late-night jitters and extra energy left over from the day. Doing light stretches is an active strategy for releasing built-up anxiety or tension from energetic muscles.
Set the Mood
Your environment factors majorly into your relaxation level. Make sure your room is a comfortable, safe, and relaxed space. Select calming lighting (low lights and warm tones), use relaxing scents, and stay tidy to avoid giving your mind extra things to latch onto.
Let Your Thoughts Out
Being tired isn’t always enough to get yourself to sleep. Often, getting your mind in a peaceful state is as simple as giving those thoughts somewhere else to rest. If you lie awake pondering tasks and ideas from the day, get up and spend 10 minutes writing them down. Do this in a journal so you can save your to-do list for later, or if you’re mind is filled with reflections on the day, call or text a friend to talk about what’s keeping you awake.
