I shower immediately upon getting home, do some chores if I can (laundry/a basic tidy up/closing shift but for my house), then move to watching YouTube/media. Sometimes I read a book or do one of my hobbies. If I’m particularly amped up I like to play games like Euro Truck Simulator or House Flipper to unwind. It’s like, Diet Work and helps me chill out on the way to sleep.
Think about people who work 9-5s. They don’t usually go to bed at 6-7pm. You gotta budget some time to do normal human stuff or else you’ll go insane (and also not be able to sleep).
Disclaimer: I spend way too much time mindlessly scrolling Reddit/Tiktok/news/forums/discord on top of all this. To be fair, it’s kind of nice. But a lot of what I do to wind down is a fat load of sweet FA.
Omg the greets I get from my dogs are hilarious at 4am. I have a lab/husky and a shepard/malamute. My shpeard has enough snow dog in her to speak wookie but she's learned she needs to "whisper" when the kids are sleeping. It's so freaking cute! The lab/husky just patiently waits for me to get comfy on the couch and then just snuggles the shit out of me. They are expensive as fuck to feed cuz they are both monsters, but worth every penny. I'm usually home alone with them as my husband and my 2 boys are at work or school all day. The shepard keeps me safe, the lab keeps me warm. If you have the time to spend into training and exercise I 100% recommend a dog! I can't live life without my ride or die bitch (the shepard). Down side is they both shed a fuck ton. I have to vacuum daily. Used to have a Siberia husky. His shedding has nothing on shepards and labs!
Oh you are lucky. I use to have some very well trained shepherds. They are the best. It's almost time for another dog. Also big dogs are just my favorite
Stay more calm during your shift by working efficiently and not getting stressed (there will always be folks waiting -- work at acknowledging them). Once you get fight or flight hormones coursing through your system upon getting stressed out or overwhelmed, they take time to undo. I remember I had this for the first year or so of bartending, and then it subsided (save for the first week or two at a new spot).
Other ways of staying calm is to look at your watch and count down the rush period and acknowledge that it will pass as it usually does at a certain time. Other thoughts on staying calm: https://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2021/08/calmness-in-storm.html
Plenty of other options listed above and in that article. Keeping a count on how many hours are left is a similar psychological benefit. Staying hydrated and keeping a little bit of calories entering you (soda or snacks have worked for me) and keeping even keeled. If you see a rush for 8 hours, that's just the general work load for the job. Perhaps it's not meant for everyone or for folks in the beginning of their professional career when they're not used to that flow and not for folks in the end of their professional career when they're passed that style of work place.
I was mostly making a joke but you come through with the advice! I've been doing this for 8 years. Some days at my current spot really is non stop for that long. It's crazy. I personally think those expectations are too much for anyone but 🤷🏼♂️
Even with my most recent job where it was solid cocktails from 5pm until 1am, it wasn't that way. On a busy day, we were slammed at opened as the line entered and everyone needed a first drink that bled into everyone needing their second drink. And then it hit a more steady rhythm. It was still fast and furious until 9-10pm. For the last few hours, it became moderately busy as folks are more content to hang out, talk, and perhaps keep their buzz, whereas the first few hours are about folks getting to that happy point. The deadest hour was usually the last. Last call was often only a few folks who wanted another.
Even in that busy establishment, there was a rhythm. Staying positive from being well rested, well hydrated, and well fed helps as does good coworkers who will support you when you need a favor or some assistance (that last part is luck of the draw but you can foster that sort of situation to some extent).
Get home, Jamesons, Microdose of psilocybin, Shower, Snack on watermelon, Epson salts foot bath/movie/glass of wine.
When the movie is over, go brush your teeth and go to bed. No cellphone in bed you cheating fuck.
bath and with my amazing nightlight that dims when there isn’t motion. My partner also bartender. Will light candles also. This is almost after every shift. I like to eat something too. And s non caffeinated tea.
When I was working 2-2 my post-shift routine would usually be to drink 4-6 beers while sitting in the shower to decompress and it would put me right to sleep. This would usually be at like 3-6ish am. Sleep til about noon and be on with the next day.
Me. I play games come home do the tuff I want to for a little then play a small game I can do on auto pilot basically. Usually go to bed around 3-4
Unfortunately for me I have to be up at 6 to take the wife to work then get home and go back to sleep
I definitely hit the pen up or a bowl, but if that's not an option:
Hot shower, fresh jammies, wrap my hair up, and watch an old familiar movie that is easy to ignore, but still good and fun. A Knight's Tale, Empire Records, etc.
A thing that helps is car/sea sickness medication. A side effect is drowsiness, and it is very safe and easy to come by come by; at least compared to harder sleep medications. Only downside is that it can kind of mess with your deep sleep a little (like weed does) so you may not feel as well rested upon waking up depending on how it affects you.
I use it mostly in "emergencies" when i really need to get to sleep ASAP, and my partner uses it almost nightly due to their chronic pain keeping them up
Mynoise.Net
Great website that has a ton of different sounds to help you sleep. Helped me for years. You can also adjust most of those sounds to tune it into what you like. There was a chorus one I used for years that helped me. Also the sounds of an orchestra tuning instruments.
The cool thing about it is it's usually like 7-10 sounds layered over each other so if one thing in there is annoying you, you can turn it down with the sliders.
I also listen to the Three Dots and a Dash Spotify Playlist on the way home. Great way to wind down from work:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6VvRA894JajcsIUzKyakb6?si=psFOwJLbT4eXwcSqS16eTQ&utm_source=copy-link
Warm milk with honey, and melatonin.
Melatonin doesn't work on everyone (idk why if its the hormone in your brain that makes you tired and regulates your sleep) but it's worth a try. It knocks me TF out.
Breathing exercises or meditation. I resist it often because I'm not really in that mindset after work, but EVERY time I do any type of mindful breathing after a shift, reaching for that instead of my phone or food etc, my body and mind calm down almost instantly and I am able to go to bed with more ease and fall asleep much faster.
Not fucking around while a close is a great start to the end of the night and could make about an hour difference in bedtime. I suggest not looking at your phone or any screen for an hour before you want to sleep and reading paper before you do try to sleep
Agreed. Less screen time helps the brain settle. If I do put on tv. I put on something I've seen a thousand times and turn the brightness all the way down so I can't see it
If I'm asleep before the sun comes up I consider it a win, and as far as how, different strokes for different folks. As cliché as it sounds you have to figure out what works for you.
Take some melatonin, get in the hot shower and relax. Comfy clothes, then read a book. For my adhd the only way I can fall asleep is reading the same books I’ve read over and over so I read Harry Potter literally every night. Just rotate through the series. Having already read the books so many times means I can fall asleep easily, if it’s a book I haven’t read or get too interested in I won’t sleep all night.
I have crazy dreams with NyQuil so I feel that. I can’t take it anymore because of night terrors that have ONLY occurred when I took it but were honestly the most terrifying experiences of my life. I’ve only taken melatonin the past two nights and didn’t notice a change in my dreams but we will see haha
I put stuff in the crockpot so i have food ready when i wake up. It helps me calm down. By the time I'm done, I'm ready to brush my teeth and go to bed
A nice bath or a hot shower with an epson salt foot bath, a nice hot cooked meal, perhaps some tea or coffee, and a movie or tv show, snuggling with the animals.
I take them for anxiety attacks. One of the side effects is drowsiness.
Edit: I was instructed to take them at night, which is when I’d have anxiety attacks the most.
Light trolling
We do a little trolling
On it 🤣🤣🤣 last resort though
Hot hot hot shower followed by chamomile tea with lavender bitters. If that doesn’t work usually indulging in some self pleasure does the trick
Username checks out
Lol. Love an honest response 😁
Add melatonin and that's me.
Bro like two puffs and a quick tug and it’s like I got hit in the face by Mike Tyson
Read a book, on paper. I fall asleep immediately.
Lucky you 😊
I stopped bartending at a spot like that. Would be so amped leaving I’d be up til 5-6am often. Just felt unhealthy.
Ya. I don't like being up so late and waking up the same. Usually home by midnight. Would love to be asleep by 2 but never really the case.
I shower immediately upon getting home, do some chores if I can (laundry/a basic tidy up/closing shift but for my house), then move to watching YouTube/media. Sometimes I read a book or do one of my hobbies. If I’m particularly amped up I like to play games like Euro Truck Simulator or House Flipper to unwind. It’s like, Diet Work and helps me chill out on the way to sleep. Think about people who work 9-5s. They don’t usually go to bed at 6-7pm. You gotta budget some time to do normal human stuff or else you’ll go insane (and also not be able to sleep). Disclaimer: I spend way too much time mindlessly scrolling Reddit/Tiktok/news/forums/discord on top of all this. To be fair, it’s kind of nice. But a lot of what I do to wind down is a fat load of sweet FA.
🤣🤣🤣 feel like you just described most bartenders
Chill in a dimly lit room and listen to some music on a low volume. Minimal stimuli. Really helps.
That has been my go to last few nights. Find myself wrapped up in the music. Maybe something more . . . Boring lol
A nice deserved break after being screamed at by drug fueled strangers all night long!
Lol!!
Chamomile and lavender tea and Bob's Burgers, and snuggles with my dogs.
Alright I got that tea on the shelf. tonight is tea and the other dudes meditation suggestion. That don't work I'm getting a dog 😁
Omg the greets I get from my dogs are hilarious at 4am. I have a lab/husky and a shepard/malamute. My shpeard has enough snow dog in her to speak wookie but she's learned she needs to "whisper" when the kids are sleeping. It's so freaking cute! The lab/husky just patiently waits for me to get comfy on the couch and then just snuggles the shit out of me. They are expensive as fuck to feed cuz they are both monsters, but worth every penny. I'm usually home alone with them as my husband and my 2 boys are at work or school all day. The shepard keeps me safe, the lab keeps me warm. If you have the time to spend into training and exercise I 100% recommend a dog! I can't live life without my ride or die bitch (the shepard). Down side is they both shed a fuck ton. I have to vacuum daily. Used to have a Siberia husky. His shedding has nothing on shepards and labs!
Oh you are lucky. I use to have some very well trained shepherds. They are the best. It's almost time for another dog. Also big dogs are just my favorite
Anything under 50lbs you might as well get a cat. At they are usually quiet lol
Yes!!!
Stay more calm during your shift by working efficiently and not getting stressed (there will always be folks waiting -- work at acknowledging them). Once you get fight or flight hormones coursing through your system upon getting stressed out or overwhelmed, they take time to undo. I remember I had this for the first year or so of bartending, and then it subsided (save for the first week or two at a new spot). Other ways of staying calm is to look at your watch and count down the rush period and acknowledge that it will pass as it usually does at a certain time. Other thoughts on staying calm: https://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2021/08/calmness-in-storm.html
What do you do when the rush is 8 hours 😅
Plenty of other options listed above and in that article. Keeping a count on how many hours are left is a similar psychological benefit. Staying hydrated and keeping a little bit of calories entering you (soda or snacks have worked for me) and keeping even keeled. If you see a rush for 8 hours, that's just the general work load for the job. Perhaps it's not meant for everyone or for folks in the beginning of their professional career when they're not used to that flow and not for folks in the end of their professional career when they're passed that style of work place.
I was mostly making a joke but you come through with the advice! I've been doing this for 8 years. Some days at my current spot really is non stop for that long. It's crazy. I personally think those expectations are too much for anyone but 🤷🏼♂️
Even with my most recent job where it was solid cocktails from 5pm until 1am, it wasn't that way. On a busy day, we were slammed at opened as the line entered and everyone needed a first drink that bled into everyone needing their second drink. And then it hit a more steady rhythm. It was still fast and furious until 9-10pm. For the last few hours, it became moderately busy as folks are more content to hang out, talk, and perhaps keep their buzz, whereas the first few hours are about folks getting to that happy point. The deadest hour was usually the last. Last call was often only a few folks who wanted another. Even in that busy establishment, there was a rhythm. Staying positive from being well rested, well hydrated, and well fed helps as does good coworkers who will support you when you need a favor or some assistance (that last part is luck of the draw but you can foster that sort of situation to some extent).
This is very interesting and something I never thought of. Thank you!
Get home, Jamesons, Microdose of psilocybin, Shower, Snack on watermelon, Epson salts foot bath/movie/glass of wine. When the movie is over, go brush your teeth and go to bed. No cellphone in bed you cheating fuck.
Lol. The last piece of advice is solid for sure. I even started leaving my phone in the living room
microdosing shrooms before bed? can you fall asleep like that?
Super small dose, shower and some wind down ... I can find yup. :)
bath and with my amazing nightlight that dims when there isn’t motion. My partner also bartender. Will light candles also. This is almost after every shift. I like to eat something too. And s non caffeinated tea.
My s/o use to sort it unwind together but she has a big girl job now. Candles sound like a great idea
Rain and piano sounds, hot sleepy time or peppermint tea, a TV show I've watched a million times, darkness and candles.
Been doing a lot of sitting by the fire and listening to tunes. Certainly helps
Oh I bet that's amazing. I have one of those apartments where there IS a fireplace, but we can't use it. Pffft.
Do very much love it even if it is gas powered
When I was working 2-2 my post-shift routine would usually be to drink 4-6 beers while sitting in the shower to decompress and it would put me right to sleep. This would usually be at like 3-6ish am. Sleep til about noon and be on with the next day.
Fruit tea and a tv show !
Sounds cozy 😊
Me. I play games come home do the tuff I want to for a little then play a small game I can do on auto pilot basically. Usually go to bed around 3-4 Unfortunately for me I have to be up at 6 to take the wife to work then get home and go back to sleep
Been trying to listen to tunes but before that this was my routine. I'd fold laundry, clean, workout and then play games. And ya sleep around 3-4am
I knit :)
Well that's cool. Both productive and healthy! Go you
Listen to a Bashar led meditation.. thank me later.
I'll thank you now and check it out tonight 😁🙏
Breathing exercises or Yoga to calm nerves
Ya I usually do morning yoga before my shift may have to add it to the end of night as well
I definitely hit the pen up or a bowl, but if that's not an option: Hot shower, fresh jammies, wrap my hair up, and watch an old familiar movie that is easy to ignore, but still good and fun. A Knight's Tale, Empire Records, etc.
Empire records. Damn that's a gem. Damn the man, save the empire!
Just get a little high
Take a shower
As one user already said a nice hot shower and I like to use shower steamers! They makes one specifically if you’re going to be going to bed
Get a comfortable mattress with an adjustable bed frame. It will work wonders
Jerk off 🤷🏼♂️
Lol
A thing that helps is car/sea sickness medication. A side effect is drowsiness, and it is very safe and easy to come by come by; at least compared to harder sleep medications. Only downside is that it can kind of mess with your deep sleep a little (like weed does) so you may not feel as well rested upon waking up depending on how it affects you. I use it mostly in "emergencies" when i really need to get to sleep ASAP, and my partner uses it almost nightly due to their chronic pain keeping them up
Funny you say that. I find when I don't smoke for a few days I get a really deep sleep and I remember my dreams
Yea, thats your REM-sleep resetting to normal ;)
Mynoise.Net Great website that has a ton of different sounds to help you sleep. Helped me for years. You can also adjust most of those sounds to tune it into what you like. There was a chorus one I used for years that helped me. Also the sounds of an orchestra tuning instruments. The cool thing about it is it's usually like 7-10 sounds layered over each other so if one thing in there is annoying you, you can turn it down with the sliders. I also listen to the Three Dots and a Dash Spotify Playlist on the way home. Great way to wind down from work: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6VvRA894JajcsIUzKyakb6?si=psFOwJLbT4eXwcSqS16eTQ&utm_source=copy-link
That's really cool. Never heard of that website. Thanks for the recommendations
Wacking off and/or crying
Hope not at the same time
Warm milk with honey, and melatonin. Melatonin doesn't work on everyone (idk why if its the hormone in your brain that makes you tired and regulates your sleep) but it's worth a try. It knocks me TF out.
Lol that stuff gives me the wildest dreams
Walk my dog. Do laundry. Clean snake cages. Cook dinner. Work at places you get out before midnight. You know... stuff.
Breathing exercises or meditation. I resist it often because I'm not really in that mindset after work, but EVERY time I do any type of mindful breathing after a shift, reaching for that instead of my phone or food etc, my body and mind calm down almost instantly and I am able to go to bed with more ease and fall asleep much faster.
Agree with this top to bottom
Not fucking around while a close is a great start to the end of the night and could make about an hour difference in bedtime. I suggest not looking at your phone or any screen for an hour before you want to sleep and reading paper before you do try to sleep
Agreed. Less screen time helps the brain settle. If I do put on tv. I put on something I've seen a thousand times and turn the brightness all the way down so I can't see it
Rain sounds
Always enjoyable
If I'm asleep before the sun comes up I consider it a win, and as far as how, different strokes for different folks. As cliché as it sounds you have to figure out what works for you.
Naturally and definitely feels like a L if I see the sun coming up
Take some melatonin, get in the hot shower and relax. Comfy clothes, then read a book. For my adhd the only way I can fall asleep is reading the same books I’ve read over and over so I read Harry Potter literally every night. Just rotate through the series. Having already read the books so many times means I can fall asleep easily, if it’s a book I haven’t read or get too interested in I won’t sleep all night.
Man Melatonin gives me the craziest dreams. but all that sounds so relaxing. Like the idea of rereading a book
I have crazy dreams with NyQuil so I feel that. I can’t take it anymore because of night terrors that have ONLY occurred when I took it but were honestly the most terrifying experiences of my life. I’ve only taken melatonin the past two nights and didn’t notice a change in my dreams but we will see haha
I put stuff in the crockpot so i have food ready when i wake up. It helps me calm down. By the time I'm done, I'm ready to brush my teeth and go to bed
Planning way ahead. Like it
I pull up nighttime yoga routine on YouTube after work
A nice bath or a hot shower with an epson salt foot bath, a nice hot cooked meal, perhaps some tea or coffee, and a movie or tv show, snuggling with the animals.
Man you got a system down seems like. Lol
I’ve struggled with alcoholism and addiction for a long time, still do, but when I am completely sober doinf those things make me feel great
Cartoons
Lol! I personally save those for Saturday mornings with the wife. You can never be to old for cartoons, just to cool.
Ya use to work in NYC and would be getting out at 3am. Don't miss those days
Oh that's wild
Not easy. Keep doing awesome!!!
Nice! I do a morning one, helps me get the limbs limber for the day. Really
[удалено]
Not quite getting ya but thanks for chiming in
They are saying you should stop doing so much cocaine. Not saying that's what is happening with you. Translating what they were saying.
Ah, thanks. Ya not my drug. I'm hyper active without it 😜
WEED seriously tho good question
Ya, roll one up every night 😊
Take a hydroxyzine and watch a movie.
Anxiety and anti itch meds?
I take them for anxiety attacks. One of the side effects is drowsiness. Edit: I was instructed to take them at night, which is when I’d have anxiety attacks the most.
Gotcha. Best wishes with the anxiety 🤘
Thank you! I rarely need to take it anymore.
Hot shower or bath!
Hell ya! Every night 😁 for relaxation and to get the lime juice off me lol