I am a girl who thrives on routine.
I have noticed a correlation between the times I am lax with my nighttime routine and the times when I begin to feel the reigns of my life slip out of my hands. I used to have frivolous night and morning routines composed of elaborate journaling practices and stretching routines.
Now, as a bum college student, I have found a much simpler routine that grounds me just the same. It is a sacred part of my day, and no matter how bad my day went, I always feel better about myself as I proceed through these steps.
Unwind + sips
When I return to my room for the day, I typically overindulge in my devices. To be honest, this is a problem throughout the day, but it’s exacerbated when I’m in my room. After being with people all day, I don’t think I can handle being alone, so I completely overstimulate myself. To be honest, there are times I am playing music on my iPad, watching a show on my laptop and scrolling on TikTok on my phone.
Do I process anything I’m consuming? No, not really. I’m a screenager. What can I say?
On days when I do not require complete mental numbness, I’ll lock into a show on my laptop. Right now, I’m watching Sex and the City, and — oh my goodness — I love it.
Regardless of how many screens I’m entertained by, I take this time to fix myself my unaesthetic nightly beverages—a mug of clumpy chocolate collagen powder and a reject thermos full of watered-down tart cherry juice.
Scrub
About half an hour before I want to fall asleep, which is typically 11:15, I’ll finish up the episode I’m on, and turn to just music. Air pods enter the scene as I head into the lovely communal bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth.
I actually use two products that Her Campus SBU was lucky enough to partner with this year! I apply Elemis’ cleansing balm to get off my skin tint before I wash my face and Arm and Hammer Plus Therabreath to brush my teeth. Thanks, Her Campus (and Elemis and Arm and Hammer)!
I want to note that I typically shower after practice before this whole ordeal begins. I promise I don’t lack basic hygiene!
Skincare
My favorite part. My regime.
I start with micellar water to get my mascara off and then use some toner all over my face and neck. Then I use a healthy amount of my evening collagen and peptide serum, apply an eyelash growth serum to my lashes, and gua sha my face.
Lastly, I use my holy grail – my 14oz tub of Aquaphor – to completely slug my face. It feels disgusting, but I have terribly dry skin, and since I started doing this, I no longer feel the need to reapply moisturizer three times a day.
Prep
This is where I make tomorrow a better day, specifically tomorrow morning. I start the prep phase by taking off my jewelry and placing everything back where it belongs on my desk.
Next, I check the weather and begin the splendid debate of what to wear the next day. Going off vibes and temperature, I pick out my outfit for the next day and place it on my open desk drawer because I have no space on my desk.
If I’m not completely wiped, I will also tidy up my room, putting my shoes back into my wardrobe and throwing any litter away.
Simple, but oh so helpful.
After checking that all of my devices are plugged in and that my bags are packed, I turn off our big light and pop on my roommate’s cutesy mushroom lamp so she can come back to a lit room.
Sleep
Only if it was this easy! Much to my wonderful roommate’s avail, I require a 30-minute coughing fit before I fall asleep. But after that, my ritual is done for the day!