Self-Care Sunday: One Day a Week to Yourself

To Self-Care Sunday or Not? Over the last several years, self-care has changed a lot. The evolution of self-care may have many people a bit overwhelmed. It seems this practice that is “good” for you has morphed into a crazed practice that is hyped up by social media. Just stop and take a look at the sheer number of #selfcare hashtags there are on Instagram. 

It seems that just practicing self-care for its health and wellness benefits isn’t enough. Now, you have to have an elaborate, daily, self-care routine that you are boasting about to the social media gods. <eye roll>

If you are feeling a little overwhelmed with coming up with the perfect self-care routine, it’s time to take a step back. Rather than focusing on fitting it into your daily life, why not just start with one day a week?

Why do Self-Care on Sunday?

For many people Sunday is “a day of rest” which makes it the perfect day to align with self-care for yourself. Since you are likely winding down from the weekend, and likely preparing for a new week to begin, use Sunday to your advantage. Add some self-care activities to your Sunday downtime routine.

Setting Up Your Weekly Self-Care Sunday Routine

First thing’s first – make a plan ahead of time. Sit down and figure out what self-care activities you want to engage in on Sunday. If you’re coming up short with self-care Sunday ideas, Google it. Also, don’t let having a house full of kids or family, in general, keep you from your self-care plans. Self-care doesn’t have to be done alone. So if you have a busy house on Sundays, you can still do this!

Be realistic when you start your self-care Sunday routine. Maybe at first, you can only practice self-care for 30 minutes. Look for Self-Care Sunday ideas that would work within that time frame. If you can dedicate more time, then do that. However, you choose to do it, make it WORK for you!

Try to think of Sundays like a reset day. Get your planning done for the upcoming week and give yourself time to unwind and relax. This will help your body and mind reset for the new week ahead.

How is it Different from Daily Self-Care?

Truthfully, it’s not. You still want to choose activities that encourage relaxation, are good for your body and mind, and overall wellness. The difference is you may have more free time on Sundays to practice self-care. This will keep you from feeling so pressured to fit it in before or after work. 

Think About Your Current Sunday Routine

So you can be successful in making Sundays your self-care day, you will need to take a look at your current routine for the day. Assess your regular Sunday activities and see if they are things that can only be done on Sundays or if you can switch them to another day. If you can change an activity or two to another day, you could open up more time for some of your self-care Sunday ideas. 

Start by making a list of things you do on Sundays. Go over your list and get rid of things that aren’t important. Then look at the remaining activities and see what can be moved to Saturday. If it can be moved. Move it. This will make more time for your new Sunday routine. 

For example, if you do laundry on Sundays, consider moving it to Saturdays. This will free up more self-care time for you.

Ideas for Sunday Self-Care Activities

Essentially, practicing self-care on Sunday would be pretty much the same as any other day of the week. The main difference is it is more about dedicating a specific day to yourself each week. This is especially true if finding time during the week to focus on yourself just isn’t gonna happen. 

Here are some self-care Sunday ideas that would be great to start implementing:

Sleep in – During the week sleeping in is near impossible for most people. Take advantage of your new Sunday commitment to yourself and sleep in! Your body (and mind) need rest.

Have lunch with a friend – Self-Care doesn’t have to be done alone. It can also be doing things you enjoy with people you enjoy. So call up one of your dear friends and set a standing Sunday lunch date. 

Go beachin’ – This is probably my favorite self-care Sunday idea of all. I love taking my family to the beach and enjoying a tech time out. If you aren’t fortunate enough to live near the beach I bet you live near some beautiful places you can enjoy with your family. Go! Get outside and exercise. Go for a hike and enjoy the fresh air. Have a picnic in the park. You get the gist.  

One hour – Maybe dedicating an entire day to self-care is just unrealistic. How about one hour? Go get a pedicure. Try a massage. Meditate and do some yoga. Find a way to fit in some time to pamper yourself. 

Read or Craft – Spend your ‘me time’ reading a new book. Maybe you prefer to craft. Great! Do that. 

Prepare for the week ahead – Taking care of yourself includes planning your week out. You will feel like you have a grip on your schedule and feel more put together. All part of self-care.

Self-Care for Introverts and Extroverts

I’ve given you some self-care Sunday ideas to get you thinking. Something you may want to keep in mind is your self-care ideas may be totally different if you are more of an introvert or extrovert. Both of these characteristics will impact the type of activities you find relaxing.

Self-Care for Introverts

If you are more of an introvert, you will likely gravitate towards activities that you can do alone. This is because you typically feel more relaxed when by yourself. You know yourself better than anyone. Choose self-care activities where you can have time to recharge. That is what this practice is all about.

Allow for alone time on Sunday – As an introvert, you need time to yourself to recharge. This is especially true if you spend all week in a job where you are constantly around other people. Self-care for an introvert can be as simple as having some quiet time on Sundays.  

Find outdoor activities – Introverts tend to enjoy the outdoors and being in a quiet and peaceful environment. Find activities you can do to get outside and enjoy solitude in nature. Maybe try a hike or a nature walk.  

Be creative – Another way to practice self-care as an introvert is to do a creative activity. For example, color in an adult coloring book (my favorite), learn how to crochet, write in a gratitude journal, or start painting.

Self-Care for Extroverts

Extroverts are more social individuals. They thrive from being around other people. If you are an extrovert, you likely enjoy spending time with others more than being alone. So how does that impact your self-care routine? Check out the following ideas for practicing self-care as an extrovert.

Spend time with friends – As an extrovert, you likely recharge from being with your friends. So schedule a time to spend with those you love the most. 

Volunteer – Another way to use your extrovert nature to your advantage for self-care is to volunteer. Look into local community centers or animal shelters that are open on Sunday and see if they need any help.

Join a club – Another social activity that helps with self-care is joining a local club. For example, you could join a book club. This would encourage you to read more and give you some solitude as you read. Then you would get the extrovert benefit the meeting would provide when you get together with your book club to chat about the book.

Tips for Your Sunday Self-Care Routine

Making a good self-care Sunday routine is important. Here are some tips to ensure you understand what self-care really means and how to avoid common mistakes.

Self-Care Encompasses Mental and Physical Wellness

Self-care addresses multiple needs in your life. There are a plethora of self-care Sunday ideas and each of them benefits different aspects of your life from emotional wellness to physical wellness.

The routine that works best for you will be the activity or combination of activities that help you feel most relaxed, stress-free, happy, and are things you enjoy doing.

Your Self-Care Routine Can Change 

So you took all this time setting up the perfect self-care Sunday routine. You’ve following it for a few months but now it’s not so appealing. Great! Time to make some changes. Just because you have decided to spend Sundays reading a book and journaling for an hour doesn’t mean you are stuck with this self-care routine forever. Things change. Go with the flow and make adjustments to your routine. Find new things that feel right and do that.

It’s totally acceptable to revisit your self-care routine often and make changes as needed. As your life changes, so will your self-care and what is actually going to benefit you the most.

A Common Mistake is Forcing Your Self-Care Routine

I cannot emphasize this enough. You should not become MORE stressed by your self-care routine! If you notice this happening, this is a sign you are forcing yourself to do activities you really don’t want to do. This is when you should stop and take inventory of your feelings before proceeding. You may need to make changes. 

“Change alone is unchanging.” – Heraclitus

Another reason that could be causing stress is you are doing a specific ‘type’ of self-care because someone told you to or you read that it is a good idea. This is where you should STOP and read this post again. Remember everyone is different (thankfully) and everyone is going to benefit from different self-care activities. Find what benefits you.

Check out this free self-care tracker.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I would love it if you would share it on social media. I 💖 Pinterest!