As deadline season approaches, life quickly gets overwhelming: swamped with work and falling behind schedule, you reach Friday night with endless tasks to complete, a messy room, and skyrocketing anxiety, resorting to the weekend to scramble through your to-do list which has been endlessly procrastinated. And then the Sunday scaries hit: a sinking feeling of dread and malaise arising from the looming stress of the upcoming work or school week.
Enter the Sunday reset. Made popular by Tik-Tok’s famous clean-girls, it involves a physical and mental reset, that allows you to best face Monday morning blues. A chunk of time to check in with yourself, complete the tasks you’ve been putting off, and set intentions for the week ahead. Unlike other unrealistic well-being trends, this method can actually be helpful, focusing on small habits to which create structures and organised routines. Here are some suggestions for the ultimate Sunday reset:
Clear the clutterÂ
The Harvard Business Review found that our physical environment can significantly influence emotions and behaviour, suggesting that clutter negatively affects our brain by reducing focus and increasing levels of stress and anxiety. Mess can get overwhelming, but if it’s taken care of regularly it’s easier to manage. Setting a timer every Sunday to clean different areas can be a game-changer, helping you start the week with a tidy and organized space – whether it’s five minutes or an hour, it all counts!
Write it down, make it happen
When it comes to a mental reset, taking a few moments to look back at the past week and look forward towards the next one can really make a difference. Life gets hectic and in the midst of it all, it’s easy to get lost: from forgetting about assignments to losing a larger sense of purpose. Writing a detailed plan for the week ahead not only helps to structure tasks but also allows you to maintain focus on longer-term goals. It also holds you accountable: if you’ve scheduled yoga for Wednesday, you have to show up.
The everything shower
Sunday is the day of rest, dedicated to everything self-care. From a face mask to a long hot bath to the infamous everything shower, take some time to truly take care of your body. No phone, no laptop, no mention of impending essay deadlines or exams, just you and soothing steam. These moments are essential to cleanse the body and the mind, allowing for true relaxation.
Sunday rituals
We’ve all seen the Tik-Toks: clean girls in workout sets and slick back buns washing, hoovering, changing sheets, doing dishes, organising, restocking meal-prepped fridges (the list goes on). While this is inspiring, it’s also unrealistic. Instead, Sunday chores should be swapped for Sunday rituals: a few small acts that will bring you joy for the day, or the rest of the week. From changing out old flowers to doing some yoga to going out for a long walk or reading a book, the key is making it a habit that you look forward to.
Final thoughts
Whilst a Sunday reset cannot ensure a stress-free Monday morning, it is likely to provide a sense of clarity and control when it comes to the week ahead. Whether you complete one task or all, it’s not about how much you accomplish, but the idea of creating a set of habits that will allow you to hit the pause, reset and reboot button – and suddenly, the dreaded Sunday becomes a sacred ritual.