Ahhh, sleep. I sunk into the mattress beside my husband and pulled my favorite soft, velour blanket up to my chin. It’d been a busy evening. My daughter had a robotics club meeting while my son had band. My husband had been on a call late after dinner, and I’d squeezed in a workout before zooming around town to pick up the kids. My husband and I hadn’t had time to watch a show or even talk much before falling into bed. “Did you get everything done for work?” I asked him. “Mm-hmm,” he murmured before saying, “So. Wiped. Out.” I scooched over, gave him a kiss, and settled back on my pillow. But before I closed my eyes, I thought back on the day.
Do you take time to reflect on your day before drifting off to sleep? It’s a good habit to start. Here are 3 simple bedtime reflection questions to ask yourself and why doing so will benefit you.
1. How did I show love to my family today?
Before I drift off, I think about my daughter and how much she had to tell me from the back seat of the car on the way home from school. I showed my love by listening and asking questions.
According to Jennifer Porter, writing for the Harvard Business Review, reflecting on your day gives you a chance to “untangle and sort through observations and experiences, consider multiple possible interpretations, and create meaning.” I had an experience to untangle when my son gave me a hug right after I told him to go finish his homework. Maybe he liked how I checked up on him? When you review your day, you learn from your experiences. That learning can then shape your future actions.
2. How did I support my husband in an area where he needed it?
My eyelids grow heavy, but I turn my thoughts to my husband. He has a lot on his plate for work and was unusually chatty about it before dinner. Did I show enough interest as he spoke? I admit, I’d been distracted by my own work thoughts. I’ll try to listen more tomorrow.
Research from the Harvard Business Review says that people who think about and plan for the day ahead feel happier and less worn out. I love my husband and don’t want him to feel so stressed at the end of the day. Tomorrow evening, we don’t have any activities for the kids. Maybe we can relax on the couch after their bedtime and talk—just the two of us.
3. How did I make time for myself?
I have a one-line-a-day mom journal that I try to do each night. I want a record of my days and have found it fun to look back a year or two ago to see what we were all up to. But often, I’m too tired to write and flop into bed quickly after changing into my PJs. Now, I close my eyes and listen to my breath as my body relaxes. I remind myself that I fit in a walk with a friend after dinner. But I resolve to read more of my novel tomorrow. I then say my prayers and try to sleep.
Sometimes, we leave ourselves for last. We spend the day pouring our energy into our kids or our jobs. Doing something for yourself each day can give you a sense of balance. It’s OK if you don’t always succeed. Bedtime reflection questions give you the opportunity to plan for tomorrow. Maybe you can fit in a workout in the morning or a call to a friend in the afternoon? When we reflect on our days, we learn from our mistakes and set goals for the future. It’s also a good way to simply relax.
Doing something for yourself each day can give you a sense of balance. Click To TweetFinally…
Asking yourself bedtime reflection questions should take less than five minutes. If negative thoughts creep in, mentally put them in a box high on a shelf to review later. Focusing on the positive parts of your day will help you fall asleep quicker. And by reviewing the good stuff, you’re calling to mind the memories you want to keep. Research from Loughborough University in the UK indicates that reviewing new memories before sleep helps to consolidate your memories so they can be easily found later. So stick to the highlights of your day before bedtime.
What bedtime reflection questions do you ask yourself?
