Sunday self care reset routine

One of my favourite things to do when I am feeling overwhelmed or stagnant is to carry out a reset routine. Most of the time, it just so happens to be a Sunday. You’ve had a nice weekend, and now it’s time to prepare and recharge. This type of routine isn’t something we need every week (although it can be). Reach for it when you need it. Although the below steps are by no means new (or all my own), they are super helpful and will be a great addition to anyone’s Sunday self care reset routine.

1. Life admin tasks & to-do’s

While I’m carrying out my life admin, I love putting on a playlist or podcast to listen to. It helps to ease the bore of the tasks. Create your own list of tasks that you feel need doing at that moment in time. Below are some tasks that I like to carry out (either on a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis).

  1. Clean your space and change your sheets: for me, my room is my sanctuary. As the saying goes, a clean space equals a clean mind. It’s true. Cleaning my room on Sunday – while a drag – is necessary for me as it means I don’t have to do it in the week. I know myself – I will absolutely not be bothered with this before or after work, and it will just end with me walking around with black feet on Saturday from an accumulation of the week’s dust and dirt.
  2. Physical & digital declutter: physical declutters could be cleaning out your closet, under your bed, donating any unwanted items lying around in your house. Digital declutters may include cleaning up the desktop on your laptop, clearing out photos from your camera roll, or unfollowing Instagram accounts that no longer serve you.
  3. Budget: whether it’s weekly or monthly, it’s a good idea to keep on top of a budget. Tracking your expenses is important. I have a spreadsheet that I update every fortnight (or every week if I have time) with different categories of expenses. This way I know what I am spending, and if I need to cut back on some categories, I can.
  4. Run any errands: post office, picking up some groceries, going to the dentist. You know the drill.
2. Weekly plan

Taking the stress off by creating a small plan for the week ahead helps a lot. When you create something physical, it allows your mind to ease and alleviates the pressure of remembering everything. Keep all of your thoughts, plans, goals, and to-dos in one place (ideally), so you know where you can find it when you need.

  1. Create a weekly plan: this could include what social activities you have planned, what work tasks, events, or goals you have, or any errands you may need to run.
  2. Find one focus for the week: you can choose one focus for each category (work, social, personal goals, etc.), or you could just choose one overall. Sometimes focusing on less is better. An example could be prioritising an important friendship that week – having a friend over for dinner one night and cooking for them.
  3. Meal plan & prep: batch cooking food not only saves time, but also makes it much easier to eat healthy. You resist the urge to eat out (saving money) and you also make healthier choices. Win win! When prepping meals, just remember the snacks too.
3. Relax & recharge

My (and no doubt yours, too) favourite step in this Sunday self care reset routine: relax and recharge. I call this play time. There is nothing better than finishing all of your outlined tasks for the day and then having guilt-free relax time. Some of my chosen activities for this category include:

  1. Slow exercise: don’t feel any pressure to exercise on Sundays if this is your rest day. But, a little movement, whether it’s a walk or some yoga, can elevate your mood going into the week. The reason I put this in the relax category and not the first two, is because exercise should not be a chore. If it is, find a type of exercise that you love doing.
  2. Socialise or not: this one depends on your needs. If you’re an extrovert and your good energy radiates when you’re around other people, then plan a social gathering. If you’re an introvert and people scare you most of the time, say no to social events and take some time for yourself.
  3. Wash your hair or paint your nails: whenever I am on the tube and see girls with their nails painted, I envision that they have their whole life together. This is a completely ridiculous thought, but I think it nonetheless. Carrying out a small beauty routine that makes me feel more put-together is a go-to.
  4. Read a book, do a puzzle, or watch a film: I love a creative hobby on a Sunday evening. And while this can be something I choose more often than not, sometimes all I want to do is snuggle up in bed and put on some TV. And that’s absolutely more than okay. Whether it’s reading, knitting, or watching 10 Things I Hate About You while spooning brownie ice-cream into your mouth, do something that relaxes and recharges you.
4. Prepare for bed

There are a few things I do in preparation for bed that come after my relax time. In busy times, this step is arguably my favourite.

  1. Get your outfit/s ready for Monday: this could be your morning workout clothes, your work clothes, or any other outfit you may need for the next day. The idea here is to save time and resist the urge to not do these things. Pulling out your clothes gives you a reason to do the difficult thing – it puts the task in motion.
  2. Put on a fresh set of PJs: one of my favourite Sunday reset rituals. The feeling of new sheets and new clothes hopping into bed on a Sunday night makes me want to do a little wriggly dance.
  3. Go to sleep early: your concept of early may be different to mine. Find your early. The reason for this is simple: rest is so important. When you go into the week tired, you set yourself up for failure. You know how many hours of sleep you need – make sure you aim for this number.

Please enjoy this Sunday self care reset routine. Take what you need, leave what you don’t.

Yours,

Kait x

Cover photo by Cottonbro Studio