03/19/2026
5 Relaxing Activities for Sleep
source: Mental Health First Aid Newsletter March 19, 2026
Mental wellbeing starts with the basics: taking care of yourself and your body. That includes sleep! Quality rest is one of the most important — and overlooked — parts of daily health.
However, falling asleep when you’re anxious, stressed or overthinking is anything but easy. A calming nighttime routine helps you detach from the stress, quiets a busy mind and helps you wind down.
Quality sleep is key to mental wellbeing, so let’s take a look at some restorative and relaxing activities to help you get there.
1. Gentle Stretching or Light Yoga
Slowing down doesn’t have to mean becoming completely still. In fact, gentle movement can be one of the most effective ways to signal to your body that it’s time to relax. Light stretching or slow, mindful yoga helps release built-up tension in areas like the neck, shoulders, hips and lower back — places where stress often settles, whether we realize it or not.
Combine the movement with deep, intentional breathing, and you activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for your body’s natural rest-and-relax mode. This can slow your heart rate, ease physical tightness and calm racing thoughts.
You don’t need a mat, equipment or a long routine. Focus less on complicated poses and more on what feels nourishing. A few simple stretches, held with intention and slow breaths, can help your body transition from the activity of the day into a more restful state.
Let your movements be gentle, grounded and slow, softly inviting your mind and body to prepare for sleep.
2.Taking a Warm Bath or Shower
Enjoying a warm bath or shower can act as a natural transition from day to night. Warm water helps relax tense muscles, supports circulation and provides a sense of comfort that naturally encourages your body to slow down. Just a few minutes can help quiet your mind, creating space to let go of lingering thoughts or stress. Once you step out of the tub or shower, the slight drop in body temperature helps trigger sleepiness.
You can also enhance your experience to make it even more calming. Soft lighting, soothing scents like lavender, eucalyptus or chamomile, and gentle music can transform an ordinary shower or bath into a special moment of self-care. Turning it into a nightly practice helps wash away the busyness of the day into a more peaceful, restorative night, a routine that cues your body that you’re shifting into nighttime mode.
Light stretching or slow, mindful yoga helps release built-up tension in areas like the neck, shoulders, hips and lower back — places where stress often settles, whether we realize it or not.
3. Journaling
Journaling at night gives your thoughts a place to go so they don’t follow you into bed.
When your mind feels full — whether with worries, unfinished tasks or emotions that need processing — writing things down can help you release mental clutter and settle into a calmer state.
There’s no correct way to journal. You might want to write in a stream of consciousness to help clear your mind. Gratitude journaling shifts your focus toward positive moments, small and large. Planning for tomorrow helps you set intentions and mentally close out the day.
Whatever you choose, journal without judgement or rules and express whatever you need to — stress, excitement, confusion, ideas, reflection. Even a few sentences can help your mind feel lighter and more settled before sleep.
4. Mindfulness and Grounding Exercises
On busy days, it’s easy to stay mentally “on” long after you should be relaxing. Mindfulness and grounding exercises help you pause, reconnect with the present moment and interrupt the cycle of overthinking that might keep you awake at night.
Here are two exercises to anchor yourself in the here and now:
5-4-3-2-1 grounding:
Pay attention to your senses. Identify five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you smell, and one thing you taste. This method helps shift your attention from racing thoughts to the sensory world around you.
Body scan: Beginning with your toes, slowly focus on each part of your body all the way up to your head, releasing tension wherever you notice it. A body scan gently guides you to notice physical sensations and release tension for deeper relaxation.
Mindfulness exercises don’t have to be long or complicated. Even one minute of slow, focused breathing — inhale deeply, exhale fully — can help quiet your mind. These small practices can have a big impact on preparing both your body and mind for sleep.
5. Screen-free Quiet Time
Screens provide constant stimulation, and the bright light they emit can make it harder for your brain to shift into sleep mode. Setting aside even 30 minutes without electronics before bed helps reduce mental activity and gives your eyes a chance to rest.
Although disconnecting from screens can feel challenging at first, screen-free activities can make your evening feel more peaceful. Try low-effort, creative activities like coloring, knitting or doodling to ease an overstimulated mind. Listening to soft music, reading a book or simply sitting quietly with a warm drink can also ease you into a calmer state.
A screen-free period can be a buffer between your day and your rest — a small but meaningful shift that helps your nervous system settle and prepares your mind for deeper, more restorative sleep.
