I know that a lot of people experience the ‘Sunday Scaries’ because the idea of having to start a whole new week and the weekend being over so quickly could be a depressing feeling, and just know that you are not alone! I want to share these tips on how to go about your Sunday to hopefully help make the day more enjoyable, intentional, and restful while also preparing for a more productive week to come.
Morning ROUTINE
The first thing I would recommend is waking up early to take advantage of the sunlight.PBS North Carolina’s article on “Sunlight, Serotonin and Your Sleep Cycle” proves that the sun does increase your serotonin levels which helps improve moods. However, because the sun goes down so early in the day, I encourage you to wake up as early as possible to take advantage of that sunlight and help you feel more encouraged to start the day off right. Also, remember that feeling when you were little, your parents would make a special breakfast on the weekends, and you could not wait to wake up and eat good food? Well, I encourage you to do just that, make yourself a breakfast you would not normally make on the weekdays. When I am home on the weekends, I like to make my family waffles or pancakes with bacon, potatoes, fruit, orange juice as if we were at a restaurant and make it seem like a whole experience from the comfort of our home. And I have found that doing this makes my morning all the more enjoyable and wholesome.
Get ready for the day
After having the time for a long, pleasant breakfast, decide what you want to wear for the day as you listen to your fav podcast/ playlist and put as much effort into getting yourself ready as possible. It’s important to do this on the weekends since we don’t really have time during the week because of school. So, get all glammed up to help make you feel cuter and more put together. You could try a different hairstyle, give yourself more time to try a new makeup look, put more effort into a cute outfit, wear your favorite smelling perfume and jewelry. Luckily, by the time you are finished getting ready, you feel positive and energized to leave your house and do something you enjoy.
Outside activities
Now that you are all dressed and feeling good: go ahead and do some of your favorite out-of-the-house activities. You could go to a farmers/thrift market, grocery store, shopping center, get your favorite beverage from a cafe, walk on the beach, or whatever other activity makes you happy. Also, try to find time to treat yourself to one of your favorite meals, and don’t feel guilty if it’s not “healthy.” The point is that you enjoy yourself!
Clean space
Now that you have hopefully had a fulfilling day, it’s time to clean your area to start the week off fresh. You could start by washing your clothes, towels, sheets, and dishes while you start to declutter and put everything away where it belongs. After, you could dust and disinfect your area to kill the bacteria having accumulated on your stuff. To end the cleaning, you could light a candle or turn on an oil diffuser to finish the act of cleaning and starting fresh.
Night routine
After cleaning and having time to chill, you could start your nighttime routine off a little early so that you have even more time to relax before bed. I recommend that you shower and pamper yourself as much as possible in and immediately out of the shower. This can include face/ hair masks, shaving, exfoliating, moisturizing, and anything else beauty that you could do as self-care. Then, you can do indoor things that you like to do in your spare time, so if you enjoy reading, then do that before bed or watch your favorite movie/show, write in your journal/ planner (organize your assignments for the week to come), or facetime loved ones. Instead of going to sleep super late, try to go to sleep early and get as many hours of sleep as possible so that you can start the new week off right and have a productive Monday. Hopefully, this Sunday reset routine will help you feel like “That Girl” and you can avoid having to encounter the ‘Sunday Scaries’ and instead have an encouraging start to your week. Hopefully, this routine will also help you push through the week, knowing that some of these steps could get you excited about your weekend to come.