For me, evenings are often when my head gets really loud. During the day I'm busy, and as soon as things go quiet, everything I've pushed aside all day comes up.
What helps me aren't big routines. I'm not someone who meditates for an hour every evening. What helps are small things that take a few minutes. I've found one for each sense. I don't do all five every evening either. Usually I pick one, depending on what the day was like.
Smell: always the same scent
In the evening I light a candle or spray a little room spray, and always the same scent. At some point my head got it: when it smells like this, the day is over. Sounds trivial, but it works surprisingly well for me.
Taste: one cup, no phone
A herbal tea, and the phone stays in the other corner. Honestly, that's the hardest part for me. But the five minutes where I just hold the warm cup and drink are often the calmest of the whole day.
Touch: what are my hands feeling right now?
When my thoughts are going round in circles, I try to focus on something I can feel. A warm cup, a soft blanket, the lavender pillow next to my bed. It brings me out of my head and back into my body. Not always, but often.
Sight: three things that were okay today
I write down three things that were good, or at least okay, today. They don't have to be big. The first coffee in the morning counts. A kind message too. On bad days it sometimes just says "I got up". That counts too. I built pages for this into the Mood Journal, but a piece of paper works just as well.
Hearing: one minute of just listening
Eyes closed, one minute of only listening. What's close, what's far away? A car outside, the fridge, my own breathing. I don't have to do anything with it, just listen. And on evenings when I'd rather hear voices, I listen to podcasts. That's also why I have my own, "Neubeginn!", where I talk honestly about the things people often keep quiet about.
And if it still doesn't work
There are evenings when none of this helps. That's just how it is, and it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. These rituals aren't a duty or a test, they're simply something you can offer yourself. If you haven't been feeling well for a while, talk to someone you trust or get professional help. I did that too, and it was one of the best decisions of my life. In Austria, the Telefonseelsorge is available around the clock on 142.
Max