Sunday Reset or Stress? Balancing Online Wellness Culture

It’s a Sunday at 4 p.m. and you’re scrolling through your phone on the couch, watching effortless “Sunday reset” TikToks of spotless bedrooms, face masks and everything showers. You watch them fold laundry, wipe down the counter and make shopping at Target look like it belongs in an ad.

The fall candle is lit and there’s calm music playing in the background while your favorite influencer manages to do what seems like hours of cleaning in 30 seconds. You feel like you should be doing more, but why?

For many of us, real Sundays in college feel like never-ending laundry, not enough time and a mental to-do list of “shoulds.” This self-wellness culture of being put together and always resetting has made us feel like we need to be perfect all the time.

Is it really self-care, or are we just chasing what the internet makes us think is perfection in a new form?

That “clean girl” aesthetic or routine makes us want to cling to it. We’re looking for some sense of control and structure in such busy lives.

The issue with this concept is that it can set such unrealistic standards for who we should be, drawing our minds away from what we can actually accomplish. Everyone moves at their own pace in life, and it’s okay if you haven’t deep cleaned and dusted your apartment by 10 a.m. on a Sunday.

This isn’t to say that it’s not good to keep yourself on a schedule and make sure you’re keeping up on household and self-care tasks, but when it becomes performative is where the line becomes blurry. 

Those self-care videos of girls waking up at 6 a.m. with a 10-step skin care routine might just remind you of everything you haven’t done yet. I’m here to remind you that not everything on the internet is perfect. 

We see 30 second clips of someone’s entire day and wonder how we could ever accomplish half of it. In reality, they’re only showing you the best parts and not the stress of trying to balance life.

Self-care doesn’t have to be picture perfect or good enough to fit that “clean girl” aesthetic on your For You page. You don’t need to go buy every skincare and hair product that a girl with 400,000 followers on TikTok has.

Don’t let yourself lose any motivation or purpose, but sleep in until you feel well-rested enough to continue your day and accomplish what you need to get done. It’s okay to watch your comfort television show for two hours on a Sunday morning without feeling any guilt. 

Real balance isn’t about resetting perfectly, it’s about making sure that you’re taking care of yourself consistently. Focus on what works for you, whether that’s waking up and taking a walk early on Sunday or rotting with your roommates on the couch and debriefing the weekend’s activities. 

Wellness looks different for everyone and it’s important to remember that in times where social media is at the forefront of our lives.

True balance isn’t about getting the perfect clips to reset, it’s about what makes you feel like you.