Bedtime Rituals Favourites | Thread Tales Women - pt. 2
The Thread Tales Women's own Bedtime Routine
Inspiring bedtime rituals and secrets from real women for real women.
The women in our Thread Tales community are a precious source of inspiration to us. We often lean into their wisdom and life experience and are always rewarded with advice, encouragement, and more.
Lately we have been focusing on sleep, and how we can reap the benefits of a restful night's sleep. In a previous post Katherine, our founder, and Louisa, founder of organic lifestyle and body care La-Eva shared how they unwind and prepare for bedtime in their everyday life.
In this post our model Anastasia La Sala and our friend Chloe Hodgson from Chloe Pilates share their own evening routine. We hope their rituals will inspire you to add an extra dose of calming self-care to the end of your day.
Anastasia is wearing our Space Dyed Scarf in Denim Blue, £150,
Marble Tie Dye Hoodie in Light Blue/Ivory, £185,
and our Harem Jogger in Ivory, £170,
all from our Ancestral Wellness Collection.
ANASTASIA'S BEDTIME RITUAL
Anastasia modelled our Ancestral Wellness Collection, entirely dedicated to your wellbeing.
To me, self-care means listening to my body and making sure all my needs are met. I believe that mental health is just as important as physical health, so I make sure I take great care of my mind as well as my body.
I am learning to listen to my body more and more: I pay attention to my posture, and every night before I get ready for bed, I do some exercises to open up my back. I started practicing restorative yoga, which is a type of yoga that focuses on stretching and relaxation, with no standing poses. I practice it every day, sometimes as a mid afternoon break, sometimes after a workout. I find it works wonders for my back and my flexibility! I recently took up meditation, after watching a documentary called Headspace on Netflix, about the benefits of meditation in brain health. I started off by downloading a meditation app and learning about a few different techniques. One of the most useful things I’ve learnt so far is to pay attention to breathing. There are little tricks one can use to ease the pressure during the day. Whenever I feel a little overwhelmed, I stop whatever I am doing and I take five deep breaths, and I instantly feel more grounded.
Getting enough sleep is very important to me. I feel that when I am well rested I have more energy throughout the day and I can fully engage in my job and with the people I work with. To get the best quality of sleep, I make sure I don’t eat anything heavy before I go to bed and that the temperature in my bedroom is just right. I like to be comfortable at home, so breathable, natural fabric for my bedding and loungewear is a must! I don’t normally have trouble falling asleep, but in case I do, I keep a novel on my bedside table. The last book I read is “The Midnight library” by Matt Haig, which was very cute and uplifting. I love reading but since I work a lot on my laptop, I try not to strain my eyes when it’s not necessary. One of my favourite things to do on my commute in London is listening to audiobooks. I realised that this way I can easily get through four books a month! The last Ebook I listened to is called “Fresh Water for the Flowers” by Valérie Perrin, which was very in line with the sort of stories I like. Stories about celebrating small every day tasks, that spark an introspective monologue or self-reflection in the main character. My favourite book of this sort is “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” by Muriel Barbery, which follows the lives of two different women who live in the same building and share the same brilliant curiosity for the world and for the meaning of life.
Last but not least, something I learnt during the pandemic is that being close to loved ones is one of the most soothing things one can experience. So, make sure you get loads of cuddles from your friends and family!
Chloe is wrapped in our Tie Dye blanket in Indigo/Grey, £200
and is wearing our Marble Tie Dye Sleeping-mask in Indigo, £49.
CHLOE'S BEDTIME RITUAL
Chloe is the founder of Oxfordshire-based and digital wellness business Chloe's Pilates.
I usually ear an early supper at 6pm with my boys – I normally include lots of carbs, like sweet potatoes or normal white potatoes most days. Eating carbs at night can boost serotonin –one of the good mood hormones-, which will convert into melatonin, -the good sleep hormone- and help support a healthy night sleep. Then it's bath time and I read stories with my children. After that I usually catch up on a few emails with a herbal tea, then it's my bath time: I love a long soak in a hot bath full of magnesium salts. Skincare is also part of my self-care and bedtime routine: I cleanse my face and then use a facial oil and do some gua sha. Gua sha helps to promote blood circulation, improve fine lines and wrinkles, aids lymphatic drainage and relieves tension from muscles. If I am not too tired I will read a book (you can find Chloe's bookshelf favourite in Issue 2 of Thread Tales Magazine, out now!), but I am normally dropping off after page 2!