We’re always on the hunt for the next great bedtime routine.
Its far from news that there is a lack of space and resources allocated forBlack women to heal.
That means more energy.
Photo by Gerald Carter
That means I get tired faster.
It’s an affordablemeal planand I’m so excited about that.
Then, Monday evenings at 8 p.m.
I venture to cut off right after Reiki and let it lead into bedtime.
At a certain time in the evening, I don’t have bright lights on.
I have a heated candle in my room that gives off light, and I’ll lightanother candle.
When I take my evening shower, I never use the full light.
My room is very minimal.
I have my favorite colors in there: rose gold, white, and oak.
But I love to keep a minimal space.
I have candles on all the time.
There are so many candles.
Candles are my jam.
I love to keep a very low sensory space.
Low lights, very soothing scents.
Right now I’ve got blue fir smells in my candle warmer.
I love the wooden [wicks] because it’s also auditory with the crackle.
Then I don’t feel that work energy.
It could be a podcast.
I love a good bedtime story meditation.
I also say thank you to my body when I’m moisturizing in the morning.
As I’m moisturizing, I’m saying thank you to each and every body part.
Something that has helped me confirm I stay asleep is moving my body.
I’ve just been super kind to myself during that period.
Feeling the stress of being a business founder, there’s nothing wrong with me in that.
I’ve just been really kind to myself on that and I am reconfiguring how I rest.
Grace is so important.
I think my rest ritual includes a lot of grace.
I would tell friends, You saying, Take a break and rest is not helpful right now.
Telling someone to take a break is such a huge blanket statement.
Detaching from needing a set schedule right now has also provided rest for me.
What’s the new schedule?
You’ve got to have one now, and that’s not how it’s working for me.
Every day I ask myself what I need, and I give a shot to give myself that.
Some days it’s great.
Some days it’s like, retry tomorrow.
In my work, too, I always preach that your self-care evolves with you.
It feels like more pressure and more work for me to be like, Here’s my set routine.
How much more stress gets added from the thought process of You should be sleeping?
There’s a lot going on in the world.
There’s a lot of stress and anxiety.
I’m having a hard time.
What can I do for myself in this moment that would feel good?
A lot of us have issues living in the should world, and who can blame us?
That’s how we’ve been indoctrinated to motivate ourselves.
It really doesn’t help us in the long run to shame ourselves.
I’m feeling all that’s going on in the world.
The world is stressful.
I feel stress in my body because of the stress happening externally.
That’s okay and normal.
Nothing’s wrong with me.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
