Have a Sunday Night Self-Care Reset (In 10 Minutes or Less)

Easy Self Care Tips for Sunday Night: 10 Minute Self-Care

 

 

Every week ends with Sunday. Both the easy ones and the seemingly never-ending ones. Rather than an ending, what if we viewed Sunday evenings as a beginning? A chance to reset and set ourselves up for the week ahead. 

How?

Well, with self-care of course!

We’ve gathered up some self-care Sunday tips to help you indulge from head to toe. The best part? These are easy self-care ideas. They take 10 minutes or less. No lengthy spa nights here! 

While these tips may be quick, they are mighty, focusing on clearing the mind and slowing down. Most importantly, these self-care Sunday tips embrace cherishing moments with yourself — no matter how busy your week has been. 

Brush More Than Just Your Teeth and Hair

Your mother probably told you never to go to bed without brushing your teeth (and maybe your hair). Fair advice. But we say never go to bed on a Sunday evening without brushing your body.

Brushing your body? You read that right. There’s one more thing to brush, but rather than a chore, this is a treat! Dry brushing is a self-care practice where you take a stiff bristle brush and exfoliate your skin. No lotion, no wetness, nada. Just you and the brush. 

While it may sound uncomfortable, it is surprisingly pleasant. The bristles stimulate your nervous system and invigorate your body in a similar way to a massage, just quicker. The process is actually even more gentle than using a body scrub in the shower.

Find a good dry brush meant for the job (no dish brushes please), then add this ritual to your Sunday self-care routine. On the gross side, it will remove dead skin, unclog your pores, and promote detoxification. On the beautiful side, your skin will noticeably glow.

Let It Steep

While you shouldn’t let your thoughts brew on Sunday nights, your hot beverages are a different story. The perfect choice for a self-care reset is a cup of hot tea. From heating the water to the last sip, tea drinking is a restorative process that takes little time out of your routine.

Tea ceremonies have been going on in East Asia since the 12th century, and these lengthy events were part of several hour-long meditations. But, with the dishwasher to empty or the laundry to fold, who has time for that? Fortunately, you can conduct your own mini tea ritual in under 10 minutes.

Start by picking your favorite mug. (No one has to know it’s one with an internet cat sensation all over it!) Heat some water in whatever way is convenient for you. Seasoned tea professionals will usually use a kettle, but if you need to resort to a microwave or a pot on the stove, we won’t tell.

Go for a caffeine-free, herbal blend to promote a sense of calm. Chamomile, peppermint, or lemongrass are a few of our favorites that have natural, relaxing herbal properties. Try adding honey, or venture into the world of reishi mushroom brews if tea isn’t your favorite drink.

Making a cup of tea takes under 5 minutes, and it’s up to you how and where you drink it. While we’d advocate curling up with a book or journal, it can also be done while you check off the rest of your to-do list. Seriously, regardless of what you’re doing, those warm sips will feel like a big hug on the inside.

Write It Down

Journaling is one of the oldest self-care tips in the book, but oftentimes, journal prompts take too much time. Sunday nights are for a self-care routine, not a school assignment! 

Rather than writing an essay, spend 5 minutes or less on Sunday night writing in your journal to unwind your mind. Think of it as a brain dump so you can have an empty head for the evening, yet a clear place to start on Monday morning.

Nurture yourself and your brain by listing everything that’s on your mind. Want to order new socks in the morning? Write it down. Need to call your doctor? Write it down. Facing some irrational thoughts about recent social interaction? Write those down too. 

Then get rid of them! Not the writing, but delete them from your mind. Everything worth worrying about is written down for your future, Monday self.  Then get back to your self-care Sunday programming.

Elevate Existing Routines

Easy self-care ideas should be just that — easy. In reality, you may not be able to add a new habit to your evening. Instead, try elevating the existing routines you already follow.

If you’re used to cooking Sunday dinners, for example, find ways to treat yourself during that experience. Add colorful produce, or break into that fancy olive oil you only use for special occasions. Or really care for yourself by taking a break and ordering take out food. You probably were also planning on taking a shower. If you’re an evening shower lover, take a few moments to upgrade your shower from just getting clean to relishing in the moment. Shower steamers — your shower’s version of a bath bomb — are a quick way to introduce aromatherapy into your evening ritual. Even if you need to keep your shower quick, this 5-minute escape can transport you to a different, spa-like world to unwind and prepare you for the coming week.

Get Moving: Easy Self-Care Ideas

Self-care gurus will tell you the best way to beat your Sunday scaries is to indulge in meditation. We’re sure they’re right, and meditative practices do have amazing self-care powers. Unfortunately, when you only have 10 minutes and the kids are running around or your partner won’t stop asking you where their favorite jacket is, it’s hard to enter that headspace.

Our last self-care Sunday tip for you is to get moving and replicate a mini meditation through mindful exercise. 10 minutes is all you really need in the evening to release pent-up energy or stress. Don’t think of this as fitness, think of it as a way to calm your mind.

We recommend a quick walk around your block at sunset. This short stroll will allow you to take in the beautiful gift the sky gives us each night. When admiring nature’s beauty, there’s no time to stress!

If you’re more of a yogi, find a 10-minute online video to reset and stretch. 

Don’t have time for anything so intentional? Squeeze in a couple of squats while you wipe off the counters, or take 3 minutes to have a dance party to your current favorite song. Don’t forget to dance like nobody's watching!