8 Sunday Self Care Ideas to Help You Have a Better Week

Updated 7/28/2022 to include 10 – yes, TEN! — self care ideas to treat yourself to Self Care Sundays.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday.

Recently, my 10-year old informed me that Sunday are the “worst” day of the week. Her rationale, “it is one day before Monday. And, Mondays mean you need to go back to school. Blah!”

Sundays are a day to love. Or, love to hate.

Until I changed my approach to Sundays with some of the ideas below, I was definitely in the second group. Who’s with me?

Sundays Aren’t Always the Greatest – Am I right?

I’ve had my share of bad Sundays. You know the type… you start thinking about all the things that need to happen for the week. And, well, all of a sudden your Sunday is ruined.

Now, this blog post isn’t necessarily going to help you to improve your week. Well, at least it isn’t going to erase the fact that you’ve got shit to do in the upcoming days.

At some point, responsibilities we don’t always have control over pile up, such as the doctor’s appointments that were scheduled months ago and can’t be rescheduled.

In other words, when that appointment was made 6 months ago, we couldn’t exactly consult our crystal ball to see if this would be a good week for that appointment. So, we have to accept what is. 

The point of this post is really to help you to change, refine, or improve the way you approach your Sunday. Let’s focus on making your Sundays better by directing your attention to self-care. 

Self Care Sunday will be good to help you set yourself up for success this week. Sunday Self Care — that kinda has a ring to it!

Start by asking yourself this — What is my body craving right now?

What is Your Body Craving for Self Care Sunday?

First, I’m going to go against the grain here and tell you to ditch your vision board and go with what you need right now. Once you figure out what YOU need, then we will focus on what to do to feel better. Here are some things your body might be saying to you:

I need a break.

In this case, you may decide to post-pone your to do list to ensure you can enjoy some quality down time. It’s Self-Care Sunday, listen to your body’s need for a break! You may also need a break for mental health reasons and that is okay. It’s important to prioritize your mental and emotional health.

Remember, you are not wasting time when you are spending time taking care of yourself.

Slow (the fuck) down.

You might have a mile long list of things to get done, but that doesn’t mean they need to happen right now. Pick the thing that is most pertinent and get that one thing done. Then, give yourself permission to slow down.

It is time to move—in an intentional way.

Do you have stiff joints or pain somewhere in your body? Perhaps your body is trying to tell you that you need to move, stretch, or relax. Try doing a couple of yoga poses that target the area(s) of your body that is calling out for attention, as in they don’t feel good. Maybe you could use a nice warm bath, or it is time to invest in a self-massage tool (I have a myofascial release ball and it has been life changing. This is the one I purchased, originally for the fact I could travel with the foam roller. But, the ball goes with me everywhere now!!)

C-A-L-M your mind down.

If you have a bunch of different things running though your mind, your subconscious might be trying to notify you it is time to take note. Literally. Write down the things running through your mind. Personally, my favorite way to do this is to find a blank piece of paper and just write everything that comes to mind. Sometimes you just need to get it out of your brain to help you stop those repeating thought loops.

Now, none of these particular answers are right or wrong. It is up to you to decide. But, depending on what you are feeling right now is vital to determine what you need to do for your Sunday Self-Care routine.

Fuel Your Body

Your body might be craving some specific foods right now. It can be telling you that it needs you to eat something healthy, like a salad, a piece of fruit or protein. Or, it might be telling you to indulge a little, enjoy that donut or savor a piece of chocolate cake. Regardless of what your body is saying, allow yourself to take delight in what you need. In other words, ditch the negative self talk!!! Your morality — being good or bad — has nothing to do with the foods you eat or don’t eat.

(8 updated to…) 10 Sunday Self-Care Ideas

After you check-in with yourself, it’s time to figure out what you need. Here’s a list of self care activities—you can make one of them part of your Sunday routine OR you can pick a few of them to incorporate as whole Sunday morning routine.

1. Take a nap.

Are you feeling tired? Maybe you need to honor your body’s desire to get some more rest. Allow yourself to get some extra sleep. Napping is not just for kids.

2. S-t-r-e-t-c-h it out.

Whether it is a full-blown yoga session or do just a few poses, it doesn’t really matter. If you have a tendency to overthink (or over complicate) things, maybe you need to simplify the task. As you wait for dinner to cook, stretch your legs or arms. Before you get into bed, do a couple of yoga poses coupled with some deep breathing to get your relaxed. Either way, stretch your body.

3. Take a time out for your mind.

Meditate or do some deep breathing exercises. Personally, I love the Chopra app for guided meditation, but you can also focus relaxing and sitting quietly while focusing on your breath work.

4. Journal.

Sometimes when we are in a funk or not feeling life, it can mean we’re processing feelings and emotions. To help work through them, writing them out can be helpful. Journaling can include answering questions, writing about a topic, or just letting your thoughts flow to the page — it’s up to you.

Or, perhaps it would be nice to spend a little time writing yourself a little love note or a self love journal. Write out all the things you love about yourself. This might be a great time to add some love affirmations! Alternatively, if love is too big of a word for you, consider writing about things you are working on accepting.

Whatever you decide to do, let the pen guide you. (Sounds kinda cheesy, but you get the point).

5. Netflix and chill.

Like, actually chill. Or, the “chill” part if that is what you are needing right now.

6. Set yourself up for success for the week.

If you have a particularly busy week, it may help to ease your mind by taking care of a few loose ends right now instead of waiting. As an example, figuring out meal ideas (or meal planning) and doing a quick grocery trip to make sure you’ve got the ingredients on hand.

This will ease potential future stress because you’ve already made decisions and taken action to ensure these things happen seamlessly (hopefully). If you want to take it to the next level and meal prep, you can. However, you also don’t need to put in that much work if you aren’t feelin’ it.

• If meal time is not typically a source of stress for you, consider other tasks that usually add tension to your week. You might consider picking out clothing to wear. Or, doing a brain dump to get out all those thoughts running through your mind.

• Spend time planning out your week ahead. Maybe you can coordinate weekly details with family members to ease some stress in the upcoming days.

7. Go out and play.

If you are needing to release some energy, get outside and have fun! This can be as simple as going for a walk through the neighborhood or park, or doing an activity that requires a little more energy, such as snowboarding or paddle boarding. If outdoors isn’t an option, you can head to the gym or somewhere to exert your energy.

Or, maybe you just need to sit in the sun for a little bit. As humans, we require water and sun. So, we are basically complicated plants with emotions. Right?!

8. Enjoy a delicious meal!

Sometimes you just need a favorite food. (This coming from a foodie—My go-to in this case is pizza!!). You can prepare the food at home or head to your favorite eatery. Either works.

9. Treat yourself to a spa day.

Before you head out to spend a bunch of money on this, your spa day can be as simple as focusing on skin care. You can create a new skin care routine.

10. Try something new!

If you’ve got a little bit of extra time today, you might want to spend it learning something new. No requirements here. It can be simple, like trying out a new face mask. Or, you might try learning a new skill, such as copywriting because you’re considering a change in career in the future.

There’s no right or wrong answer here! Listen to what you need and pick self care activities that improve your quality of life. 

Be Silent and Listen Carefully to Your Body Needs for Your Self-Care Sunday Routine

When focusing on Self Care Sunday, think about what your body is asking you to do. Take a moment to sit quietly to figure out what you need. Not what your head is saying needs to happen right now, just pick something on the list. Taking time to really focus on what you need is seriously the key to your self-care Sunday routine.

Sunday Self Care is a day meant for you. Today is your day to take time for yourself in a way your body is craving.

While you may want to have all the answers right now. Give yourself time to figure out which of these (or other) self care ideas will work best for your Sunday self care day.

Don’t Ignore What Your Body is Craving Right Now?

As you work through what you are going to do for your Sunday Selfcare routine, keep an open mind. If your body and soul are telling you need something, but logically you think there is something else you “should” do.

Allow the craving of your soul to be acknowledge and honored. Not everything has to be so logical all the time. (Uh, I’m holding up a mirror and reminding myself of this. It is often easier said than done, but gets easier with practice).

Share Below by Commenting — What are your Sunday Self Care Pinterest Worthy Ideas?

What do you for your self care Sunday practice? We’d love to hear your self-care sunday ideas to ease your mind or make the upcoming week better. Remember, we aren’t looking for the perfect day; it’s all about doing what YOU need in this moment.

Treat Yourself to a Happy Self Care Sunday!

Self care Sundays are the best.

Keep Reading About Self Care…

Check out this article I wrote for my Fall Catalog. It is about Asking for What You Need as a form of self care.

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