Who else gets the Sunday scaries?! 🙋🏽♀️ It’s not a fun feeling. But, with a little mindset shift and the institution of some Sunday rituals, you can wave bye-bye to the Sunday scaries from now on.
For me, Sunday is an important time to reset and prepare yourself for the week ahead. Once you start the rituals that I suggest, I promise that you will set yourself up for an amazing week. You don’t have to enter the week with anxiety and stress anymore – instead, you’ll feel relaxed and ready to tackle the coming days.
If you just want to dip your toe in the water, pick out a couple of these rituals and try them out. Once you start forming new habits you can add more as you’re ready. And, you can take inspiration from these rituals and add any that you may come up with on your own. Remember, the goal is not to overwhelm you with something that doesn’t feel right but to practice mindfulness and set yourself up for success.
Ritual #1: Skip the Alarm Clock
It feels oh so good to go to bed knowing that there’s no alarm to wake you up in the morning. And it’s important to do so once in a while! Make Sundays the day that you never have to wake up at a set time. Give your body a break. I think that due to the “hustle culture” we all know and deal with, people tend to shy away from giving themselves time to rest. But, don’t fall into that trap. Rest is severely underrated. Everyone needs to take the time to rest, or you won’t be able to keep up your level of performance long-term.
Personally, I find that I’m more of a morning person so I know that my body will naturally wake up around 8am, even without an alarm clock. However, I also think this is a great practice for those that aren’t early risers. If you don’t wake up that early on your own, let yourself sleep in. What if you wake up at 11 or 12? Fantastic. Give yourself the room to listen to your body and give it what it needs. Then, waking up earlier throughout the week won’t be so bad because your body is well-rested and taken care of.
Ritual #2: Celebrate Your Small Wins
Whenever you have a big win you celebrate, right? And how good does that feel?! I know, it’s pretty amazing. But what if I told you that you didn’t have to wait for the BIG wins. Even small wins are accomplishments worthy of some fanfare.
This is something that I started to do in a business mastermind I’m enrolled in. The coach assigned us the exercise to share some wins every single Friday and it was transformative. Picking out even the smallest accomplishments from your week will make you feel proud of yourself and all the work that you do.
What does a small win look like? It looks like anything (yes, anything) that you’re happy about from the previous week. Maybe you completed your work out even when you didn’t feel like it, or it could be that you only ordered take out once. Those are wins, believe it or not. And I encourage you to find those wins and throw yourself a little party because you’re worth celebrating.
Ritual #3: Meditation
Giving yourself a moment of stillness before the busy week ahead is a game changer. If you don’t try any of the other rituals, please try this one. You will feel the difference! I usually meditate every Sunday morning, and it works wonders. Through meditation, I’m building the relationship that I have with myself and it has been lovely. Meditation is my “me time.”
There are numerous benefits to meditation that include:
✨ Increasing self-awareness
✨ Increasing focus
✨ Building stress management skills
✨ Increasing patience and tolerance
✨ Reducing negative emotions
✨ Increasing imagination and creativity
If you haven’t tried meditation before, I encourage you to take some time and explore what it can do for you. I think you’ll get hooked pretty quickly once you get into a routine. If you need help getting started with meditation, I’ll have some resources out soon to get you going 😉
Ritual #4: Create Memories
Instead of spending the whole day inside, get out and have some fun! Make memories in your free time rather than spending the day inside glued to a screen. Overconsumption of media is a problem, and it can make you feel like you’re just not measuring up. But I’m here to tell you that you’re doing great, and you shouldn’t worry about others. Comparison is not good for your mental health or happiness.
So, spend time with loved ones. Go outside and take your dog for a walk. Breathe in the fresh air and take the time to truly appreciate nature. Allowing yourself to unplug and be present with people that you care about will feel so refreshing. Life is meant to be enjoyed after all!
Last week, my boyfriend and I chose a tree-climbing activity to do together. It was so much fun, and a great way to enjoy each other and make lasting memories.
Ritual #5: Show Your Body Some Love
Ah, this is a really good one. I’m sure a lot of ladies are all about self-care, as you should be! Showing your body love is an important practice, and can look different for everyone. Do something that makes YOUR body feel good and cared for.
Go get a manicure and pedicure, a massage, or get a haircut. If you’re looking for ways to practice self-care in your home, you can take a bubble bath or do some light stretching. For me, showing my body love can even be taking the time to put on body lotion and nourishing my skin. Forsome added self-care, I make sure to really be intentionally present when massaging my skin.
It’s incredibly relaxing to take care of your body and has so many benefits. Please try this one out and see if you feel any different. I’m sure you will.
Ritual #6: Do a Brain Dump
What is a brain dump, you ask? Well, a brain dump is “the act or instance of comprehensively and uncritically expressing and recording one’s thoughts and ideas.”
To prepare for the week ahead, make a list of everything that you need to do. It’s simple. Just empty your mind of all those tasks and get them on paper. It’ll free up some mental space that you can dedicate to other things, and you’ll have a comprehensive list that you can check off as you complete each task.
Using a planner is a great way to keep track of everything that you need to do and everywhere you need to be during the week. There are a bunch of different types of planners as well to suit your individual needs.
Bonus – checking items off a to-do list is super satisfying and will make you feel accomplished at the end of the week.
Ritual #7: Prepare for the Week Ahead
This ritual can be anything that makes you feel prepared and ready to take on the coming week. So, take some time to think about what feeling prepared means to you!
I personally love tidying up around the house and doing Sunday laundry. I’m also trying to work towards meal prepping for the week every Sunday. Another big one that I always make sure to do is declutter my desktop.
My computer desktop always gets sooo messy throughout the week. It’s my command center for all of the work I get done Monday-Friday. I don’t take the time to file everything and keep it organized. Starting out my Monday morning with a clean workspace makes such a difference in my mood and productivity.
So, try to think of things that will make your life easier once the busy week begins. You’ll be so happy that you did those little tasks on Sunday.
Ritual #8: Do Nothing
Let Sunday be your personal day of rest. Everything is so fast-paced nowadays, and it’s important to take time to do absolutely nothing. Oh my goodness, sometimes doing nothing feels SO good. It’s needed once in a while. Everyone is constantly focused on doing, but instead I want you to take Sundays to focus on being. You don’t have to be productive every second of your life. Every minute of your time doesn’t need to be filled with some kind of task.
Hang out on the couch, watch a movie, take a nap, and enjoy your day. You’ve earned it after the week you had, and you’ll need the recuperation time to take on the week ahead. Go on, just relax.
> Next week when Sunday rolls around, keep these 8 rituals in mind and give them a try. Even just one! I promise that you’ll feel a difference when you wake up on Monday morning. Get ready to feel recharged and excited to take on the week ahead after you take some time for yourself on the weekend.
Let me know your favorite Sunday rituals in the comments below!
