Self-Care Sundays: 15 Ways to Add More Self-Kindness and Peace to Your Week
My top 15 self-care ideas:
1. Bath or a long shower
Baths and long showers are great. There is something about feeling the hot water on your skin that’s so soothing. You don’t need anything fancy, like those Lush bath bombs that change colour and make bubbles. A nice, inexpensive, good-smelling shower gel will do. For an extra touch, you can play your favourite music or podcast or even watch a YouTube video. I’ve even gone as far as reading my Kindle (I was in fact, in Iceland, soaking in one of their hot springs.
2. Candles or incense sticks
Aromatherapy is a very cheap and effective self-care tool. I like apple and cinnamon or vanilla-scented candles. These scents really relax me. Sometimes, I use incense sticks, like Nag Champa or the Lavender scent by the same brand. Incense makes me feel spiritual and exotic, as If I were in India or Thailand.
3. Massage
Massages are an instant release of stress and tension. When I first discovered how good massage makes me feel, I got really hooked and was buying Groupon vouchers every month. There was one time when I found a little Chinese place in London and asked for a discount if I went there every week (for a while, I actually did!).
If you don’t have access to a massage studio right now, you can ask a friend or a partner to give you a massage. But if these options are not possible, just use your own hands! You can get a foam roller (these cost around £11 on eBay) or even a bottle of water to release those knots on your shoulders, neck or back.
4. Movie or TV series
Remember my point about self-care helping you escape reality a bit? I can’t think of a better and faster way to do so than to watch a movie or a series.
Any genre is good. My go-to is comedies, but I know people who love a good action film with lots of guns and explosions. Sometimes I find a cry-inducing drama really therapeutic, or a silly chick flick or a soap opera even (and I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve binge-watched Beverly Hills 90210, Outlander, or that I’ve watched all x seasons of Sex & The City about 6 times).
5. Tea
Nice-smelling, warming and soothing. I love a good cup of tea – jasmine, camomile, lavender, mint – any flavour that calms me down.
If you’re British or live in England, chances are you love English Breakfast or Earl Gray. I love black tea too and it doesn’t affect me too much. As long as you’re not overly sensitive to caffeine, go for it.
6. Journalling
Journalling is a great tool for organising your mind and thoughts. It’s a good way to dump your problems and relax after everything has been released from your subconscious. It’s great when you make it a habit to focus on certain areas of your life every day – like your little victories, your emotions, people you’ve connected with, and things you’re grateful for.
You can do it morning, evening, or throughout the day. Hand-written or digital – it’s all effective. I know Tim Ferriss is a huge fan of his morning pages so check out his method for some inspiration.
7. Sweaty workout or a dance class
Self-care doesn’t necessarily have to equal a spa day. Do you know how I spent the first lockdown in the UK in 2020? By dancing like a maniac. For 4 months straight, I barely missed a day of Zumba or other forms of dancing joining various Instagram lives or following along YouTube videos. Sometimes I just did my own thing.
At first I did it in my studio flat, but after receiving a few complaints from the old grumpy neighbour downstairs (who threatened to call the police at one point), I moved my dancing outside and was showing my best moves barefoot, in the middle of my local park.
Any other form of working out is great too, a good sweat can be so uplifting and energising. Jogging, HIIT, lifting weights, all of these are great. I love all sorts of movements, with or without following a video. When the gyms are open, I like to set up a little boot camp for myself using dumbbells, plyo boxes, resistance bands, kettlebells or barbells. Try different exercises and implement them into your day for amazing physiological and physiological benefits.
8. Yoga or pilates
For someone like me who is known to be a little hyper, the idea of yoga sounded a little off-putting. Being quiet and moving slowly for an hour when you can be sweating and releasing endorphins? Sounds like a snooze fest, so no thanks! That’s what I thought at the time. Until I finally gave into the zeitgeist and tried it myself.
I instantly liked yoga – the graciousness in the poses, the fact it’s improving your flexibility and strength… My shoulders became so strong from all the downward dogs when I was doing yoga 2-3 times a week! There are even elements of mindfulness when the teachers link the yoga movements with things from life.
My favourite studio in London is called Yoga West. They have an amazing library of online live and on-demand classes for while the studio is closed. Some great YouTube channels: Love Yoga with Adriene, Cat Meffan, Boho Beautiful.
I do have to mention Pilates here too. I was a bit sceptical about it as I thought it would be too slow and unexciting for me. However, I was again proven wrong when I had a class with Gill Harper at Bela Vista Retreat where I really felt my abs the next day. Gill’s class was so fun and it made me use muscles I barely ever use.
So try these slower forms of movement. Usually, when we resist something, it means we really need it.
9. Meditation
Meditation was one of the other things I refused to get on board with. Sitting quiet and for ages with my eyes closed? Sounded like torture to me.
Until, again, I was proven wrong. When I tried a 5-minute Headspace, I was amazed by how quickly I felt calm and relaxed. I went on and joined their free ‘Take 10’ programme’ – 10 days x 10 minutes of meditation, then a 15 and a 20-minute equivalent.
The main benefits of meditation is that it quiets your monkey mind, brings up your ideas to the service and releases some trapped emotions (I’ve cried during meditation quite a few times). You can do anything like a 15-min simple meditation when you count to 10 while inhaling and exhaling, guided ones like Headspace or Calm, or even more complicated breathwork like Soma.
10. YouTube
I really consider watching YouTube a form of therapy. Watching channels with positive or funny people can be really soothing. I enjoy channels like Natacha Océane (workouts), Modern Millie (social media tips), Amy Young (talking about life and female empowerment), AwakenWithJP (comedy).
There is something really pleasant about having a peak at other people’s lives and finding things that are relatable, educational or just entertaining.
11. Crying
Did you know that tears release hormones of happiness? That’s right, your sobs can make you feel better (as long as you don’t indulge in self pity too often).
Tears are an important part of life. If you can’t let yourself cry then you’re not letting yourself be. Girls do it much more often than boys (because of toxic masculinity), but I really think it would benefit both genders if they let themselves cry sometimes.
Tears are an important part of life. If you can’t let yourself cry then you’re not letting yourself be human. You wouldn’t treat your cat or dog like a fish so don’t treat yourself like a robot.
Tears are healing, free and harmless so no shame in shedding some every now and then! If you can’t cry that easily, watch a drama or do some breathwork and these should help.
12. Adventuring
The reason I am putting adventuring here is because it unleashes those good happiness and excitement hormones which classifies it as a self-care activity.
I love getting lost and then finding my way back home, feeling uncomfortable being in harsh weather conditions and then feeling extra cosy at home.
13. Books
I’m a sucker for self-help books by authors such as Tara Brach, Dale Carnegie or Pema Chodron. The way they normalise (and offer solutions for) feeling sad, lost or anxious makes their books the cheapest form of therapy for me.
Reading a good novel is also a great way to shift your focus away from your problems and travel to another reality from your couch.
If you’re not a huge fan of reading, why not try listening to an audiobook instead? AuAudiobooksave the added bonus of combining well with the next activity on my list.
14. Long walks
Walks are one of the best forms of meditation for me. Especially when my mind finds it challenging to sit still. Walks help me centre and calm down my racing mind if I’m too energised to sit down and meditate.
When you walk in nature, you go back to your roots and receive extra benefits like fresh air and good views. It’s also a form of exercise, which as we said earlier, is good for your body and mind anyway.
"Spending time in forests, hiking in mountains, and just being outside can lead to significant health benefits. Studies have shown that walking in the woods can improve blood pressure, boost mental health, and decrease cancer risk. So go spend some time "forest - bathing" to improve your health." - Kevin Loria
15. Get rid of things
Let go of anything that doesn’t serve you anymore. Marie Kondo the heck out of your home! In case you haven’t come across this concept, Marie Kondo is a Japanese declutter guru who advises people on how to simplify their home environment and remove unnecessary clutter in order to achieve a peaceful and cosy environment. She recommends throwing away items by category – not by location – beginning with clothes, then moving on to books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and, finally, sentimental items. Her advice is to let go of anything that doesn’t ‘spark joy’ and to only keep things that make you happy.
Note: letting go can also include removing obligations and toxic relationships as well as friendships and unhelpful feelings like guilt and shame. But these are topics for another conversation.
Summary
Now that you’ve read this blog, I hope you appreciate the importance of nurturing yourself on a regular basis and introducing Self-care Sundays to your life.
Key points for you to remember:
It’s important to make an effort to find time for self-care, i.e. to prioritise your own wellbeing.
Sunday can be a perfect day for it (but any other day is fine too. I have a friend who has solo date nights every Friday).
Try to do little things every day – e.g don’t feel obliged to reply to your friends immediately if you don’t have the headspace for it)
Adding self-care and self-love to your routines will help you grow. Your self-esteem will improve and your stress will decrease.
Start small – one candle at a time and you can grow your routines over time.
By Elena Dimitrova
By Brooke Lark, Unsplash
The purpose of Self-care Sundays
Self-care on a regular basis leads to improved mood and reduced anxiety. It’s also key to a good relationship with oneself and others. Think about it – if you dedicate time to make sure you’re in the best possible state, wouldn’t you then become a little nicer to be around because you would’ve satisfied your own needs? To quote every aeroplane safety announcement ever, “put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.”
There is no particular reason to do it on Sunday. It can be done or a Tuesday or Wednesday if you prefer. You should be aware that if you devote a day of the week to it, it becomes a lifestyle choice.
When you do it on Sunday, it helps you get ready for the working week ahead and relax after a more active Saturday. If you like to socialise or go on adventures , then it gives you a full day to recover. The important thing is that it forces you to find time and space for you and your own needs and in those quiet times, you get the opportunity to listen to yourself.
"With every act of self-care, your authentic self gets stronger, and the critical, fearful mind gets weaker. Every act of self-care is a powerful declaration: I am on my side, I am on my side, each day I am more and more on my own side."
-Susan Weiss Berry
By Elena Dimitrova
Self-care is an expression of self-love
You may have noticed that the internet is paying more and more attention to self-love these days. I like that! Anything that’s becoming mainstream that benefits us is to be welcomed.
But self-love is more than a fluffy word that’s trending on social. According to the Oxford dictionary, self-love is ‘the feeling that your own happiness and wishes are important’. I’d argue that developing self-love is one of the key factors for healthy self-esteem (I even tattooed a self-love symbol on my arm). When you fall in love with yourself, it becomes so easy to see the beauty in life and in those around you.
But self-love isn’t something that you simply wake up and feel. It took me years of having low self-confidence and high levels of self-criticism to realise that these things weren’t doing me any favours. I spent years trying to improve myself, my personality, my skills, my body… only to realise that the key to being confident is to accept myself exactly as I am right here, right now.
I’m not saying that this realisation is as simple as clicking your fingers and loving yourself. Self-love is a gradual and deeply personal journey, and self-care is an important part of it. You might be tempted to push yourself all the time to achieve more and more. That’s great, but if you don’t find time to nurture your soul, it will take you much longer to love yourself. When you regularly find space for self-care and prioritise your own wellbeing, you’re telling yourself, ‘I love you, you’re important to me’.
Self-care Sunday - criteria
When you introduce Sunday self-care activities into your own life, the only criteria is that these activities are:
Easily accessible – it’s not realistic to go to the spa every single weekend and spend hundreds there
Healthy (or at least not harmful) – we all know drinking wine every time we’re stressed or eating a box of chocolate is not a viable long-term solution.
Inexpensive – no need to spend hundreds on branded candles if this will put you off from doing it often (unless you’re really rich – in that case, buy all the candles! Someone has got to keep those wax factories in business!)
Provide a small dose of escaping reality – it’s good for us to get distracted from our stresses without becoming delusional and forgetting where or who we are right now.
By Nathan Dumlao, Unsplash
What is self-care?
Have you ever come across the #selfcaresunday hashtag? It contains over 1.3 M posts featuring candles, baths, solo PJ parties, warm cups of tea, or, in other words, all about that pampering at home.
"It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It’s necessary."
- Mandy Hale
But self-care is not just about scented candles and Netflix. It is any activity or ritual where you prioritise yourself and find space to slow down and focus on your wellbeing. According to Psychcentral, it is “any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health.” It’s the key to a balanced life, especially if you live in a city like London, New York, Berlin, Barcelona or any other place which glorifies productivity, fast pace and multitasking.
Practising self-care rituals on a regular basis helps counter-balance burnout and will prevent you from anxiety episodes and breakdowns.
#selfcaresundays on Instagram
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