One of the things that has been a bit out of balance since having the baby is “me time,” naturally. Not that I’m complaining, I love being a mama – but finding balance is important. It can be a difference maker between enjoying motherhood and feeling exhausted all the time, so it’s something I’m working on.

Finding me-time during the day feels almost impossible between the baby, work and life, so I’m refocusing my attempts to the evening. I reached out to my private Facebook Mom Community (if you haven’t joined, you should! there’s so many great conversations going on) to find out what other moms do to unwind at night and there were so many great rituals. I thought I’d share a few (anonymously, of course):

1. I like to foam roll/stretch to relax my muscles especially if I worked out that day, then an epsom salt bath soak with a little lavender oil. If iI remember, I will also dry brush before the bath. Helps me unwind.

2. When I’m tired, I like to take a bath, wear pajamas and read a good book in bed (or watch a TV show – The Affair Season 4 just started!) while drinking tea and eating a yummy snack. Other nights, my husband and I enjoy eating dinner later on the porch when my daughter’s in bed – or we have friends over for dinner and drinks.

3. A hot bath or shower is my go-to. I also like to unwind by baking something healthy to keep in the house for the week. I actually find it really therapeutic.

4. Before we had a child, my husband and I used to take long walks with the dog after work and dinner as a way to unwind, chat without getting interrupted by household chores or our phones, etc. Now that it’s nice out, we eat dinner a bit later—after our daughter is in bed—out on our porch. We have created a nice little oasis with comfy furniture, plants, and candles. We leave our phones inside (and a window open so we can hear inside, just in case our daughter needs us) and we have a nice dinner and chat about our day. It helps get us away from all the distractions in the house while you know, still being responsible and not abandoning our kid to go for a walk.

5. Our nightly routine started thanks to a weekend getaway at Shutters when Harlee was 6 months old. I take a bath and my husband sits in the bathroom with me and we catch up on our day and have a glass of wine. I love baths and he loves to contemplate his day and current events so it’s a way for us to bond. Totally random type of bonding but it works for us.

What about you? What are your evening rituals like?