7 Slow Sunday Routine Ideas to Prepare for Your Week
There is a yearning in most women to take a moment to slow down from the fast-paced world we live in today, even if it is just for one ‘Slow Sunday’. A yearning to find peace from her workspace along with her personal and online world – without the fearful feeling of falling behind or not keeping up with everyone else.
It is a yearning to draw inward and escape the noise – to recharge and refocus the mind. And, to feel ease and calmness as she releases the pressures of productivity and her busy life. Allowing herself to be nurtured for sometime before meeting the external world once again. Yet, I’ve noticed with most women I speak with that it can be very difficult for them to actually ease into this softer and slower pace. But, it’s not necessarily their fault – instead it is the way our society and culture has formed and shaped women.
I consistently observe that ‘slowing down’ or ‘relaxing’ now refers to scrolling on social media. And, this is something I’ve been guilty of in my past. So, when we finally get a moment to ourselves, it almost feels overwhelming and perhaps even a bit anxious. These feelings flood our bodies because the fast paced world now feels normal – meaning it is almost as if we have forgotten how to truly unplug and tap into the true slow living we yearn for. Yet, the more time we put into practicing the idea of slow living, the more clear our minds become and the more love we build for ourselves.
How does one actually start practicing ‘slow living’? Throughout my learnings, I’ve noticed a good first step is to become aware that we’re not moving at the pace we wish. We can become aware by tuning into our bodies and perhaps tap into feelings of tension, anxiousness, or maybe feelings of overstimulation. Once we bring in the awareness of things no longer serving us, a new fork in the road opens up for us – a path of transformation. From my personal experience, as I began on this journey to slower living I began making a “mental list” of things that didn’t truly make me feel good or serve high value.
For example, down time and ‘Slow Sunday’s’ used to be scrolling through videos on my phone as I laid in bed for hours, repeating to myself ‘just a few more minutes’. It contained hours of binge-watching my favorite show, and it also included day-drinking and hanging out with friends at bars to ‘kill time’ on my day off.
It wasn’t until I truly began observing my feelings and emotions that I knew some things had to be changed and shifted. And, the biggest lesson of all through my internal observations is that my downtime revolved around everybody else and not myself.
‘Recharging’ was catching up with what everyone else was doing in the real and online world. There was truly no slowing down, instead it was constant dopamine hits online and filling my body with junk.
I’m here to invite you to learn how to slow down and reclaim your inner intelligence and love for yourself through practicing the idea of a ‘Slow Sunday’. And, what I love about these practices is that it not only helps you slow yourself down specifically on Sunday, but it also creates a gentle week through thoughtful and soft preparation.
Most women desire this soft living, without that feeling of falling behind, as I mentioned earlier. And, there is a way to tap into this ‘soft living so’ we can move through our week feeling more happy, calm and recharged rather than stress, anxiety and exhaustion.
Reflect on Last Week
When a woman begins reflecting on her previous week in privacy and solitude, it allows her to stop seeking outwardly for validation and approval. There is no one telling her what is right or wrong – instead it gives her the opportunity to truly think for herself.
Through my own experience and practice, before I started reflecting and journaling it was almost as if I was the horse trying to chase the carrot stick. I was moving in a circle rather than forward.
I yearned deeply to reach my goals, yet I wasn’t taking action. I would speak of my goals and feel the excitement of reaching them ‘one day’ – but I was stuck in a cycle of the same routine. Yet, I had not become aware of how this routine was hurting me yet. I wasn’t aware of how much useless time I spent on my phone each day.
I wasn’t aware of how much money I spent going out. I wasn’t aware of how much of my life I was allowing to waste away through sleeping in or staying up into the late-night hours. It wasn’t until building the routine of reflection that I began to find clarity and begin making better decisions that served me in a healthy way. Reflecting can feel overwhelming for women who don’t typically write on a daily basis. Yet, journaling and writing allows women to release their feelings on paper. It allows her to let go of the emotions that have been circulating throughout her body.
I’ve found through women I connect with that it’s not necessarily what to write that overwhelms her – instead it is how to start actually writing and releasing your true emotions onto paper. Yet, the beautiful thing about writing is that there’s no certain way to write. No one is reviewing or judging your writing. We’re so accustomed to our outer world ready to give us feedback and validation, but reflection is something that can be completely kept to ourselves.
For example, some days I’ll reflect in paragraph format, while on other days I find myself only writing a few words or bullet points.
When a woman reflects on ‘Slow Sunday’, it gives her time to reflect on her past week. It’s a deep, yet beautiful connection to oneself to reflect on all different aspects of her life.
Some women may feel unsure how to begin, I invite them to take a look at some of my journal prompts to help ease into this type of deep and powerful reflection:
- What is something that you struggled with last week? Were you able to overcome it? If so, how?
- What successes did you find last week in both your personal and professional life? Did you work on anything specific to help you achieve these goals?
- How were your eating habits? Were you eating as healthy as you had planned or did you possibly fall into a slump and wish to adjust these habits going into next week?
- How was your relationship with your body last week? Were you actively moving your body? Did you exercise regularly?
- How were your relationships treated overall? Did you spend time with your loved one? Did you speak with love and support?
- What ways did you take care of yourself? What did a typical self care routine look like?
When women look through this self-reflection lens, it automatically allows her to slow down. She no longer has a million thoughts running through her brain at once. Instead, she is able to better herself through refocusing.
Through observation of several women, I’ve noticed that reflection allows true thoughts to arise – it’s almost as if the robotic-like mind of going through the motions without much thought is able to be paused. As new ideas begin to sprout in the brain, the awareness of staying true to thoughts, words and actions becomes stronger. A sense of accountability kicks in and these women begin to feel a sense of empowerment.
With this accountability, it gives women a chance to face parts of themselves that may be ignored on a daily basis. For example, it could be as simple as a goal of waking up earlier wasn’t followed through as planned. Instead of saying the typical “I’ll wake up early tomorrow” – there is time to actually reflect and ask why this goal wasn’t accomplished.
Perhaps it was from too much screen time at night, or maybe the terrible habit of hitting snooze – whatever it may be, allowing time to face the trust and contemplate a solution to allow for readjustments is key. Not only does reflection help with refocusing it, but it also brings about a sense of gratitude through celebrations of accomplishments – big or small.. By stepping into the feeling of gratitude, there is a higher chance to amp up
mood and confidence – leading to set up more goals and continue on the journey of becoming the best version of oneself.
Lastly, by simply reflecting on all aspects of life, it brings an invitation of increased willpower. It’s an attitude of self-discipline – allowing the ability to work on personal transformation.
Meal Prep
In this fast-paced world women live in, it feels as if there is no time to do everything on the to-do list.
There is a yearning in most women to be able to eat healthy without breaking the bank. Most tend to come up with excuses that there is “no time” and it leads to perhaps one too many orders of take out for the week.
Preparing meals is a great way to practice ‘Slow Sunday’. However, when most women think of meal prep, hours of cooking and preparation may cross their mind and the overwhelm turns them away. Yet, there is a way to prepare without the feeling of the whole day being spent in the kitchen.
Meal Service
I don’t consider myself the best cook in the kitchen. To be honest, my boyfriend loves cooking so he makes most of my meals. However, before he came into my life I used meal services such as HelloFresh and BlueApron.
I enjoyed both services and what really drew me into them was that they weren’t too expensive and the dishes were easy to prepare or make after work. Some women don’t feel cooking is one of their best skills, which is why meal delivery service is a great option as it saves time and money throughout the week.
Snacks
Throughout my life, I have always enjoyed snacking – however I have built some bad habits with snacking in the past. Upon reflection of my eating habits, I learned it is better to prepare and portion snacks for the week. Here are some simple snack ideas that won’t take too long to cut/portion out on ‘Slow Sunday’:
- Watermelon, strawberries, pineapple and other fruits
- Carrots and celery with ranch or blue cheese dressing
- Hummus and chips
- Energy Bites
- Portioned out ‘less healthy snacks’ such as goldfish or cheez-its
Meal preparation allows women to soften and move a bit slow as it allows mindfulness into a plan for eating. Slow Sunday doesn’t have to necessarily be cooking all day, it could be as simple as getting the ingredients to cook for each day and planning out meals rather than eating on a whim.
Cleaning
I’ve found through my own experience that a clean environment leads to a clear mind. Yet, for most women it can be really difficult to keep up with cleaning. A woman may find her week flies by as she balances work and family. She may feel exhaustion towards the end of her day with lack of motivation to clean.
This is why taking time to clean on Slow Sunday allows a woman to tap into nurturing her environment. Instead of leaving her clothes in the hamper rather than folding, leaving dishes in the sink rather than washing them, or leaving clutter that has been scattered throughout her home – it gives her an opportunity to slow down and reconnect with her environment. I’ve found with women I speak with that it also invites inspiration and creativity – new ideas flow through her mind of ways to decorate her home or make it feel more inviting and at home.
Cleaning is also a yogic ethic called Saucha which translates to purity and through Saucha women are invited to practice cleanliness both in her internal and external world. Cleaning encourages the clearing of the mind, the stimulation of creativity and helps support internal growth.
Self Care
The idea of self care can often bring about feelings of excitement as one prepares to pamper herself in different ways. Yet, I’ve noticed in this fast-paced world that it can also be easily procrastinated and not prioritized. Most women nowadays find themselves with jam-packed schedules, which often leads to the idea that there is “no time” for self care. Yet, through my practice of self care, I’ve found ways to integrate it into my life without feeling it will overtake my day.
Self care doesn’t have to be complicated, or even an all day event. Self care can be as simple as 30 minutes on Slow Sunday to soften and regenerate one’s soul and heart. And, most
women forget how important it is to take action and preserve her health. The overstimulation of the world takes over as she feels there isn’t enough time in the day for herself. However, what must be reminded is that our health is everything and protecting our well-being and happiness will trickle positive impacts into all aspects of our lives.
Here are a few simply self care practices to try when slowing Sunday into a softer and gentler day:
- Go on a walk: connect with nature, enjoy the beautiful scenery without the calls, texts and distractions
- Get a massage or facial: Relax and ease tension from stressful weeks through tuning into your body, allowing a full slow down and the ability to unplug for an hour without distractions
- Meditate: Meditate for even just 2 minutes a day and slowly work your way up each week to master the art of meditation and the present moment
- Call a loved one: connect with someone you love, maybe an old friend, or someone you just enjoy talking to
- Read: Take some time away from your phone and replace it with reading a book, even if you start with just one chapter
Self care doesn’t have to be overly complicated, starting small and working your way up to more time for yourself is key. The continued practice will build overtime as your priorities shift towards your health.
Plan Something To look Forward To
As most women jump back into their productive week on Monday, it is often forgotten to still give herself a break from the busyness. I’ve personally found it feels easier to get through a busy week of work if I have something to look forward to within the week.
The beautiful part of this is it can be anything you want. For example, it could be:
- Meeting a friend for dinner after work
- Going to the movies
- Planning a date
- Shopping
- Taking a course or class that interests you
With the preparation in the week of reflection, cleaning, cooking and self care – it’s great to find an hour or so in the week to do something that makes you feel good without necessarily being productive. As women, we feel this pressure to constantly be doing something, but this allows us connection in different ways that bring us joy.
Exercise
Typically, most women love to take Sundays off from working out. Yet, it has been proven that exercising at the start of her day helps keep the momentum going throughout the day. In the realm of the modern world, there are a lot of “should’s” regarding how to do things.
Exercise doesn’t have to be an intense workout. It can be a simple walk around the neighborhood, restorative yoga or a 20 minute home workout. Exercise is a very broad term that can be defined differently depending on the person. In my experience, some days of exercise are going to the gym, other days are light stretching at home, and others include a walk outside.
I find it important to highlight that exercising at the start of one’s day leads to a much better day. It leads to a higher chance of completing what you wish to get done in the day with less distraction and chance of doom-scrolling.
Go To Bed Early
Most women yearn for a good night’s sleep to start their work week on a positive note, yet most women find themselves ending their day scrolling through their phone before bed.
I’ve found through my experience it is better to leave my phone away from my bed and stay screen-free by reading a book instead. This increases the chances of falling asleep not only earlier, but also stress-free as you escape your algorithm.
Conclusion
I highly encourage Slow Sunday’s as a way to improve not only your upcoming week, but also your life. Preparing is a commitment I invite you to make in order to have a peaceful and productive week.
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