Today I will be sharing with you 21 self-care Sunday ideas.

We all know our fast-paced lives can leave us feeling tired and worn out. If you don’t fill your own cup, how will you care for those around you?

Self-care Sunday is about dedicating one day a week to your self-care. It means looking after yourself and recharging so that you don’t end up feeling depleted over time.

Modern life is hectic, therefore it’s important to look after ourselves and practice self-care as often as we can. If you struggle to set aside time, at least set aside one day a week to nourish yourself and rest your mind, body and soul – and what better day than a Sunday?

Today I share with you 21 ideas for the perfect self-care Sunday.

What is self-care?

Because it’s important we’re all on the same page, right?

Let’s start with a self-care definition from Oxford Dictionaries:

“The practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health.”

“The practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.”

So basically, self-care is you and I taking responsibility for our own health, both mental and physical.

Seems pretty legit and certainly not self-indulgent.

In fact, for anyone to suggest that taking responsibly for your mental and physical health is anything but common sense, well they’re the one’s sounding ridiculous.

Please don’t let anyone shame you for self-care or listen to anyone that says anything negative about your self-care practices.

You are taking responsibility for your physical and mental health, that is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about at all.

Why is self-care so important?

This seems like a no-brainer. But so many people forget how neglecting self-care damages other areas of our life – until it actually happens.

With energised minds and bodies, we can, first of all, be more productive. You can get more done in less time, and in turn have more hours left for the things you love.

As you can see, a good kind of a self-perpetuating cycle grows out of making your wellness and emotional contentedness a priority.

Through these activities/through patterns/habits, you make sure you live as your best self, rather than just exist. Cheesiness ahead warning, but why are so many of us concerned about making ‘enjoying life’ a frequent, rather than an occasional treat?!

Focusing on wellbeing and happiness now prevents burnout from creeping up on you and throwing your health and stress levels out of control. You should never feel bad about making yourself a priority, and inspires you to take action accordingly.

Why practice self-care on a 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.

Self-care Sunday Ideas – I Don’t Have Time

I get it…you’re busy…you have children, you have a home to run, you have a job and a you’d like a social life.

I often feel that way too. I get that you don’t feel like you have time to sit around all day on a Sunday just thinking about yourself.

Self-care Sunday ideas don’t have to take all day, and if you think you don’t have time for self-care, then this post is 100% for you!

You can still practice self-care, without it taking a massive chunk out of your day.

Just the simple act of being mindful of taking care of yourself, can shift the balance from you always giving, to a healthy mindset, where you also think about yourself and take care of you.

Remember, scheduling in that time for self-care can make us a better parent, a better friend or a better partner.

Self-care isn’t just for you, as it makes you the best version of yourself for the rest of the world too.

Finding time for self-care Sunday Ideas

It is easy to dismiss the idea of taking a self-care day, or even a self-care minute because you don’t have any time.

I wonder if we are all conditioned to feel like we need to be busy at all times, and that we are somehow lazy if we are doing nothing or seemingly doing nothing.

Let’s change the way we look at self-care. This practice is not being lazy or doing nothing, but instead, it’s us taking part in an essential practice for our wellness and to better the relationships with others around us.

No one likes being around someone who is super stressed – so by taking some time for ourselves and making some room for self-care, we can change that.

So, with that being said, how can you carve out time in our busy lives for you?

how can you possibly make these self-care Sunday ideas work for you? Even if you have kids, pets, partners, businesses or anything else that depends on you, you can still find time for self-care.

Well starting off with setting Sunday as your devoted day for self-care is a perfect beginning. You can then build on Sunday, and add another self-care day to the week.

Before you know it, you have built a daily routine of self-care habits than will transform your life.

3 ways you can create time for self-Care:

• Schedule it – actually add it to the calendar and agree the time with your partner so everyone knows you are unavailable.  It works with work meetings and getting kids to wherever they need to be so why not with your self-care?
• Prioritise – someone said to me recently that if you have time to go on social media you have time for self-care and I totally agree.  Next time instead of falling down that Instagram rabbit hole spend that time on self-care
• Consequences – think about what you cannot do that day in order to fit in your self-care practice.  What would be the consequences of, for example, not emptying the dishwasher or not sending that last email?

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.

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.

Self-Care Sunday Ideas – Perfect End to the Week!

Meditate

Numerous studies show that meditation is very good for your overall health. A 2016 study showed that meditation can have a positive impact on your relationships. Meditation has also been shown to increase resilience to stress.

Haven’t meditated or don’t know where to start? You can try out guided meditations and there are plenty on the internet if you just google ‘Guided Meditations’. You can choose the length of time based on your self-care plan.

Don’t want a guided meditation? Just bring your attention to your breathing. With your eyes closed, focus on your natural breath and sit quietly. Your mind will wonder. That’s ok. Just bring your attention back to your forehead.

Mindfulness

If you are not yet ready for the full meditation session with crossed legs and thumb to forefinger business, mindfulness may be the next best thing.

Mindfulness is simply an awareness of the present moment and it’s actually very similar to meditation.

Through mindfulness, you are free from becoming stuck in thoughts of your past or worrying about your future.

The aim is to spend most of our day in this mode but starting with 5 minutes, moving on to 10 minutes, and so on is a good way to stay in that mind frame.

Mindfulness leads to mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical wellness.

How to do it? Turn your attention to your surroundings. You can do it with your eyes open, or closed.

Listen to the sounds around you, are there aromas you can pick up? What can you feel on your skin? What’s the temperature like? Immerse yourself in all of these sensations and just relax.

Practice gratitude

Having an attitude of gratitude is a fabulous way to practice self-love! Many people keep a gratitude journal, which is amazing.

They will be able to look back on their lives with a sense of positivity and hope for the future because they took the time to record the things that truly matter.

For our purposes, I want to focus on the part of gratitude that doesn’t take any time at all to do. The habit that gratitude should replace is complaining. Complaining is focusing on all of the negative things going on in your life. When you complain, you essentially disregard all of the good things happening around you.

Being grateful might be harder at first, because complaining is something that’s ingrained into our day-to-day lives, but the benefits are worth it.

To practice self-care, try to think about your personal attributes that you’re grateful for.

Start a self-care journal

A journal can be anything you want it to be. It can be a place where you try to discover who you really and what you value, or a place to list the things that you are grateful for.

It can be a space to just record your thoughts and learn how to change that negative self-talk with positive thoughts.

Or a space for you to remember back to all the times you showed strength, record it so that you can come back to it when you feel down.

If you’re having issues with the partner, why not write down all the things you love about them, the little things they do for you and how you will approach future conversations with empathy and love.

There is so much you can write about, dream of and plan, the options are endless.

Build yourself up with self-love affirmations

Affirmations are a great way to change the tape recording in your head that doesn’t serve you. The best time to work on affirmations is right after you wake up, or as you’re falling asleep.

The reason for this is that your subconscious is most open to suggestions at these times. Choose a couple to focus on until they become part of your thinking. Then move on to the others. Here’s a great list of affirmations to start you off.

Self-Care Affirmations

• I am special, one of a kind.
• I am kind to myself when things don’t go as planned.
• My body serves in amazing ways. I am grateful for it.
• I forgive myself
• My past has made me who I am today
• I am learning to love myself more and more every day
• I am enough
• I deserve the best things in life
• I deserve to be happy
• I am worthy of love and respect

Buy yourself flowers

Indulge yourself with a nice bouquet of flowers because you deserve it. Surrounding yourself with nature’s beauty is sure to help ground you and get that zen back into your life.

My partner loves her flowers.

Plant a tree

On your first Self-care Sunday or your next one if you’ve already started, you can plant a tree that signifies new beginnings and growth for you.

Every time you go out into the garden, you’ll remember the commitment you’ve made to yourself and reaffirm your commitment to self-care.

Binge watch your favourite show

You know when you’re hooked on a show, and you want to keep watching, but that feeling of guilt creeps in.

Well, there is no guilt on self-care Sunday. Just enjoy it. Also, try to remember to get enough sleep. I’ve binge-watched into the early hours of the morning and then paid for it the next day.

Bake a cake

If cakes, cookies, and muffins are your thing, it’s ok to treat yourself once in a while, as long as you do it in moderation.

If you have kids, they’ll love you for it too. Why not share some cake with a neighbour or friend. Knocking on someone’s door with a treat is always a great way to start conversations or even new friendships.

Go for a Sunday drive

Got nowhere to be? It’s OK, just get in the car or on the bicycle and drive. A change of scenery is as good as a holiday and what better day to take a slow drive than on a Sunday?

Come up with a self-care sleep plan

If sleep is an area of our life that needs improvement, you can take time on a Self-care Sunday to write down all the things you can improve to get your sleep right.

Some things you can think about include: Limiting exposure to screens before bed, coming up with a night routine to get you sleepy, reducing or cutting out caffeine.

You may also want to stop drinking caffeinated beverages at 2pm. Lastly, you may want to try sleep-inducing foods and drinks.

Take a bath with the works

I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember the last time I indulged in a long bath with the works.

Get your supplies ahead of time, or get enough for a number of Self-care Sundays and store them away.

And yes, this one has the backing of science too. In a study conducted on two groups of participants, one group who bathed (immersed in water) and another who showered (not immersed in water), the bathers were the winners in terms of mental and physical health.

Be spontaneous

Maybe you just need to wake up on a Sunday, and go with the flow, with minimal planning. Your body and soul are great at telling you what you need, listen to it. Just make sure it’s legal.

Go to the museum

As you walk through a museum, reflect on the things you see and try to feel their energy.

I can’t tell you the feeling I get when I see a beautiful piece of art that used to sit on someone’s wall many hundreds of years ago.

While you’re there, think about your life and what you want it to represent at the end. What do you want people to say about you when they remember your life?

Play a sport you enjoy

Life happens and it can get in the way of the things we used to enjoy, so they just fall off the list and we stop.

Why don’t you reignite that feeling of enjoyment from playing sport? Did you swim many years ago?

Book yourself in at the pool, or go to the beach. Did you enjoy team sports? Sign up and join a team.

It’s a commitment but if it brings you joy, and you can juggle it, it’s worth it.

Read

Hard copy books, or audiobooks, whatever you prefer, just get back into it.

I like audiobooks because I can do two things at once. But you can’t beat the feeling of holding a book the good old-fashioned way.

You can plan out what you will read once you’ve finished one book, and slot your reading sessions into your week.

Go on a retreat

You can book yourself into a retreat doing something relaxing, or just different. There are drumming retreats and other unusual ones if yoga and meditation is not your thing.

Go out to a spa

Get pampered like you deserve to be with a spa day. Manicure, pedicure, facial, massage or more. So many options to choose from. Savour every moment and remember, you deserve it.

This is more for the ladies, but you may be into this thing if you’re a man, I’m not one to judge 🙂

Try an escape room

If adventure and suspense is your thing, why not try an escape room. You have to solve a series of riddles, puzzles, and questions to achieve the goal and escape the room in the allocated time.

It’s a fun family activity, go with a friend, or alone.

Fruit picking

There’s something so satisfying about picking ripe fruit from the tree. The fresh smell of nature, birds chirping and the sun shining.

It’s got the perfect ingredients for a lazy Sunday. Then you go home and enjoy the freshly picked fruit and share your bounty with loved ones or neighbours.

Just sleep in

You don’t have to rush off, so why not just sleep a little longer, or just lay in bed thinking about the things you’re grateful for.

You can use this time to connect spiritually to God or a higher power, whatever you believe.

Start or work on your vision board

How do you picture your life for the future? A vision board is a physical representation of the future you are working towards and can keep you focused and on track.

Self-care Sundays are a perfect time to update that vision board or start a new one.

Bathe in sunlight

Sit in the sun with a cup of coffee and practice mindfulness, or write in your journal. The sun is the prime source of Vitamin D which is so important for a healthy body and mind.

Self-care Sunday ideas – Final thought

There you have it. These are some ideas of activities you can incorporate into your self-care Sunday routine.

Feel free to try out anything that nourishes your soul. Self-care is all about caring for yourself in a way that allows you to rest and recharge.

If Sunday doesn’t work for you, make sure you choose one other day of the week to practice self-care.

I would love to hear your thoughts on what you are doing to change your life in the coming days and years!

If you have any questions please reach out to me via adam@adam-lawrence.org. I would love to hear from you!

I really hope you found inspiration in this article.

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Adam

Hello! My name is Adam and welcome to my space on the internet. Here you can find me writing about subjects such as spiritual growth, self-discovery, wellbeing, addiction recovery and mental health. Please connect with me on my journey and join the community!