Feel Good Without the Aftermath: 5 Rituals That Are Better Than Booze
We get it. That 5pm glass of wine used to feel like a little reward. A soft exhale at the end of a long day. But now? Maybe it’s feeling more like a shortcut to sleep disruption, anxiety spirals, or wondering if you accidentally texted your ex.
Good news: you can still unwind - without the aftermath.
Whether you’re sober curious or just sick of the Sunday scaries, here are five feel-good rituals that help you relax, reconnect, and reset - no booze required.
1. Get Lit (but like, literally)
One of the fastest ways to shift your nervous system out of fight-or-flight? Change your environment.
Start by dimming the lights. Soft lighting cues your brain to wind down by encouraging melatonin production -especially important in autumn and winter when our circadian rhythms can get knocked around.
According to Harvard Health, artificial light (especially blue light from screens) can delay sleep and disrupt natural hormone release. Candlelight or a warm-hued lamp? That’s a different story.
Pro tip: Pair with incense, essential oils or even a guided meditation to fully signal chill mode activated.
2. Create a “Wind-Down Hour”
Instead of a glass of something, give your brain a new cue for the end of the day.
This might look like:
Changing into comfy clothes (science says rituals help reduce anxiety)
Tidying your space
Making a no-pressure to-do list for tomorrow
Or simply sipping something calming (like UnWind - our terpene-powered stress relief soda)
It’s not about perfection. It’s about repetition. The more your body learns what “wind down” feels like, the easier it becomes to actually do it.
3. Use Your Hands, Not Your Head
Alcohol gives your brain a break - but it’s a blunt instrument. You can get the same “mind off, vibes on” effect by using your hands instead.
Try:
Repetitive crafts (knitting, painting, or that TikTok clay mushroom thing)
Stretching or yin yoga
Even tidying - yep, turns out cleaning reduces cortisol
You’re not trying to “achieve” anything here. You’re just letting your nervous system find a rhythm again.
4. Sip Something With Benefits
You know we had to say it.
One of the hardest parts of drinking less is the ritual. You miss the glass, the pour, the excuse to pause. The good news? There are drinks designed to scratch that same itch, without the messy side effects.
UnWind is made with terpenes - natural plant compounds shown to help regulate mood and stress. In particular, compounds like linalool (found in lavender) and myrcene (found in hops and mango) have shown calming effects by interacting with GABA and serotonin pathways.
Source: Frontiers in Neuroscience
Basically: it takes the edge off without making your brain fuzzy.
5. Romanticise the Hell Out of Bedtime
Seriously. Ditch the scroll, put your phone in another room, and make your evening routine the main event.
This could be:
A steamy shower or bath
Putting fresh sheets on your bed
A herbal tea, your favourite book, and a heat pack
Psychologists call it sleep hygiene - we call it foreplay for your nervous system. Studies show that strong wind-down routines improve sleep quality and reduce late-night anxiety spirals (Sleep Foundation).
You don’t need booze to unwind. You just need better rituals. The kind that actually support your body, instead of asking it to recover from the thing you used to call “self-care.”
TL;DR:
Mood lighting > mood swings
A real wind-down routine beats wine every time
Use your hands to calm your head
Sip something that supports your nervous system
Make sleep feel sexy again
Ready to reset your after-work ritual? UnWind might be the new favourite in your fridge.