Having that one day in the week when you can really take time for yourself is SO important; especially if you've had a particularly tough week. For me, having this day has never been more crucial. With the pressures of living away from my family for the first time, in a new city, studying for university and working nights, by Sunday I'm both emotionally and physically drained.
Personally, my default is to just stay in bed all day- to keep the blinds down and sleep till Monday- and this is something I have been doing a lot recently, but is so unhealthy. All it does is further throw off my sleep cycle and allow my anxiety and depression to fester.
1- Rest
I'm sure that anyone would agree that by Sunday we all deserve a lie-in, so my first tip is to turn your alarm off. Allow yourself to wake up naturally without that god-awful ringing sound that we all dread. However, I do know that this is a risky game. There have been plenty of times where I turn my alarm off and end up waking up at 4pm. So, to avoid this I like to only put my blinds half the way down, that way the sun will help turn my brain on in the morning.
When I do wake up, my number one priority is to make a cup of coffee and bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes (breakfast of champions), but on a Sunday, instead of wolfing it down whilst I get ready, I take it back to my bed. While eating my breakfast, I like to watch something light on Netflix whilst I allow my body to fully wake up. Recently, I've been watching Louis Theroux's weird weekends and Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father.
2- Actually get up
Like I mentioned in my introduction, staying in bed all day is not good for my mental health, so after no more than an hour of an hour of watching tv, I get up. Now I want to stress how important it is to get dressed, however tempting it is to stay in your pyjamas all day. Getting dressed, sets a productive tone for the day and I genuinely find that I get more done and feel happier.
This is a random one that I stole from my Dad; I used to wake up every Sunday morning, freezing and hearing the theme of Steve Wrights Sunday Love Songs coming from the kitchen radio. Now, even though I live alone, I still like to do this, for a few reasons. First of all, getting that fresh air circulating through the house helps freshen things up, airs out any smells and makes sure that you're getting some fresh air too. Steve Wrights Sunday Love Songs plays a real mix of love songs from the 50's to now, alongside messages that people send in for their loved ones. As a hopeless romantic, it gives me hope that the love you see in movies is actually real. It's super positive and uplifting and it makes Cambridge feel a little bit more like home.
Surely, no one actually enjoys cleaning up (except maybe Maire Kondo), I certainly do not so I like to get it out of the way first thing. Cleaning my room and doing my laundry really helps to release some of my stress and makes the upcoming week so much more productive. Having a clean and tidy room, fresh bed sheets and all of your clothes clean and ready to be worn makes your life so much easier. I also like to clean my makeup brushes on a Sunday because my skin is a mess and I like to give it a fighting chance.
Growing up, I always had awesome Sunday dinners, but now that I'm living alone, and I'm a shitty cook, this has gotten a little harder. However, I am getting better and hopefully sometime soon I will actually enjoy something I make. At the moment, I'm just trying to make sure that its got loads of veg to keep my fickle immune system working.
I am talking facials, hair masks, painting my nails, moisturising my whole body, the lot. Classic 'girly self-care'. Back home, I always take super long, hot baths but obviously I don't have a bath at uni so that's out of the question now. Here, I like to give myself an extra 5 minutes of just standing in the shower (sorry planet).
Doing this means that I can have an extra 10 minutes in bed in the morning, and honestly, who doesn't need that on a Monday. If I'm feeling extra productive, I'll prepare an outfit for everyday of the week and hang them all up in my wardrobe, ready to go. It also means that you get to wear well thought through outfits everyday. This saves me so much time and effort in the mornings.
Before getting in bed I like to make sure that all my uni stuff and my shifts are in my diary. I also like to make lists of things I need to get done during in the week. This way I can get an overlook of the upcoming week and relax knowing that I am organised.
After a super productive day of looking after myself and giving myself the best chance for a good week, I like to get in bed, put a film on and and just unwind. I try to stay of social media for the rest of the night, just focus on the film and then go straight to sleep.
3- Open all my windows and put BBC Radio 2 on
This is a random one that I stole from my Dad; I used to wake up every Sunday morning, freezing and hearing the theme of Steve Wrights Sunday Love Songs coming from the kitchen radio. Now, even though I live alone, I still like to do this, for a few reasons. First of all, getting that fresh air circulating through the house helps freshen things up, airs out any smells and makes sure that you're getting some fresh air too. Steve Wrights Sunday Love Songs plays a real mix of love songs from the 50's to now, alongside messages that people send in for their loved ones. As a hopeless romantic, it gives me hope that the love you see in movies is actually real. It's super positive and uplifting and it makes Cambridge feel a little bit more like home.
4- Get my housework done
Surely, no one actually enjoys cleaning up (except maybe Maire Kondo), I certainly do not so I like to get it out of the way first thing. Cleaning my room and doing my laundry really helps to release some of my stress and makes the upcoming week so much more productive. Having a clean and tidy room, fresh bed sheets and all of your clothes clean and ready to be worn makes your life so much easier. I also like to clean my makeup brushes on a Sunday because my skin is a mess and I like to give it a fighting chance.
5- Make something decent for tea
Growing up, I always had awesome Sunday dinners, but now that I'm living alone, and I'm a shitty cook, this has gotten a little harder. However, I am getting better and hopefully sometime soon I will actually enjoy something I make. At the moment, I'm just trying to make sure that its got loads of veg to keep my fickle immune system working.
6- Pamper myself
I am talking facials, hair masks, painting my nails, moisturising my whole body, the lot. Classic 'girly self-care'. Back home, I always take super long, hot baths but obviously I don't have a bath at uni so that's out of the question now. Here, I like to give myself an extra 5 minutes of just standing in the shower (sorry planet).
7- Get my outfit and bag ready for the morning
8- Organise my diary and set goals for the week
Before getting in bed I like to make sure that all my uni stuff and my shifts are in my diary. I also like to make lists of things I need to get done during in the week. This way I can get an overlook of the upcoming week and relax knowing that I am organised.
9- Get in bed and watch a film
After a super productive day of looking after myself and giving myself the best chance for a good week, I like to get in bed, put a film on and and just unwind. I try to stay of social media for the rest of the night, just focus on the film and then go straight to sleep.