After a long and arduous day, transitioning into rest mode can get really challenging.
After more than a year working from home, however, I’ve somehow managed to collect some habits that do help my soul to slide smoothly into a relaxing evening. I’m happy to share them with you:
1. Dim the lights.
For me and my fiancee, this is automatic since she sleeps very early to catch her dawn-to-morning shift. So I eat dinner with just the floor lamp and the kitchen lamp on. And it’s the dim and low lighting of the floor lamp that quickly brings me to the comforting vibe of a spa.
It also helps that the floor lamp is actually on the floor, throwing shadows upwards, like the sunset. This makes our condo look more quaint — romantic even. (Thanks to YouTuber Tommy for this tip!)
2. Turn on the aroma diffuser.
I remember an old communication theory called Media Richness Theory. It states that the more senses are involved in understanding a message, the greater the message’s impact is.
So if the message of the dimmed room and the quiet space is relaxation, how much more pronounced that message would be if I could also smell it?
Thankfully, my fiancee gave me a diffuser as a birthday present last year. And now our favorite nighttime scents are peppermint and lavender. So relaxing!
3. Do the dishes right after dinner.
I admit, I still struggle to do this.
It’s often hard to wash the dishes when the Billions episode you’re watching is riveting as usual (I’m still on Season 2). But doing the dishes immediately has the grand benefit of freeing you from any more “adult responsibilities.” Once the plates are in their racks squeaky clean, all that’s left is time to truly enjoy the rest of the night.
I challenge you to do these and see the difference. Because having a daily “vacation” is possible — all that’s needed is imagination, and some prompts for the senses.
Daryl Zamora 