You rush around through your day, tackling your to-do’s, running from one thing to the next, desperately trying to keep up with the overwhelming demands on your time, energy, and attention.

After a full day, you put your head on the pillow, ready to drift off into dreamland, and that’s when your brain decides, “it’s go time!”

Your mind races, remembering things you forgot to do, reminding you of things you have to do tomorrow, replaying conversations, and on and on.

When we don’t take time to stop, check in with ourselves, and process our thoughts and emotions throughout the day, our brain stores up all of its anxiety, and when there is finally a moment of quiet, it goes to work.

What if you could limit your night time mental marathons by giving yourself a few moments of peace? What if you had a sacred space and a few minutes of uninterrupted time to just be? 

Welcome to the bathroom. I’m no mind reader, but I’m willing to bet you spend time every day in this magical room. Unless you have kids banging at the door (I’ve been there), this is the one place you have uninterrupted, private time. This time is sacred.

Granted, this is not the ideal place to take several deep breaths, but if it’s the only time you have during the day to do it, so be it. 

Create a habit of taking time to strategically stop throughout your day, check-in with yourself, and give your brain some time to process. After all, new habits are most likely to stick if you pair a behavior you want to develop with a habit you already have. 

Build a bathroom habit.

Every time you enter the room, stop, pause, check  in with yourself, and give your brain a much needed moment of rest. If pausing for a few minutes to do this is uncomfortable, it means that you need to do it even more.

Here are 3 things you can do to strategically stop throughout your day.

1. Take a few deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Focus on extending the exhale. A deeply relaxed person takes 6-7 breaths a minute. When you change the way you breathe, you shift your emotional state.

2. Check-in with yourself. How are you feeling? What is causing you stress? Where in your body do you feel it? This mindfulness practice signals safety to your brain, helping to re-engage your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest).

3. Identify one small action you can take to adjust your mood and emotional state. It might be as simple as repeating a mantra like, “It is what it is” or “All I can do is all I can do.”

If you do this every time you go to the bathroom, your brain will thank you. Sure, your mind may still race at night, but you’ll be surprised how this small habit shift will help you protect your peace throughout your day and get better rest at night.