Forget Monday. The toughest day of the week belongs to Sunday.
Let’s be honest – despite intentions of socialising, nature-filled walks and leisurely activities, when Sunday rolls around we usually see it through grey-tinted glasses. It’s called Sunday blues for a reason after all: we just can’t escape the sense of melancholy that washes over us as we cast our minds ahead to the impending working week.
What is self-care Sunday?
Dedicating an hour or two to self-care is simple. It’s about understanding what’s good for your soul and replenishing with considered, nurturing and restorative tasks without a hint of guilt in sight. You’re giving yourself a necessary break to soothe any anxieties that you might have. In fast times like these, you can’t underestimate the value of looking out for number one.
How to self-care Sunday:
The key to perfecting the self-care formula is identifying what feels the most satisfying for you. Be it a mind-numbing stream of reality TV or a lap around your local whole foods store – whatever floats your boat. There really is no one-size-fits-all recipe, only you can be the judge of what’s right on any given Sunday.
But if you need some inspiration, here are a few ways the re.skin team embraces self-care Sunday.
Book a beauty treatment
Sometimes you just need to treat yourself to some next-level pampering whether it be a pedicure or a massage. Sure you probably can’t make this a weekly ritual but every other month treating yourself to some indulgent me-time will turn that Sunday dread into zest.
Get amongst meditation
Many have sworn by the efficacy of meditation to alleviate stress, improve focus, sleep and achieve, overall, a greater sense of happiness. But like any kind of skill, it requires practice. So, don’t expect to nail it the first few times. Your mind is supposed to wander (and it will, trust us). You’re human; you’re designed for thinking. The trick is to follow your thinking and observe it and, where you can, let thoughts pass through and come back to one thing to focus on such as your breath, a mantra, or a feeling in your body for example. Headspace, Calm and Smiling Mind are all wonderful guided meditation apps that will help master the basic skills right through to tackling some pretty delicate issues. There’s no harm in trying, right?
Clean out your beauty cabinet
If satisfaction for you comes from a sense of organisation, go beyond writing down to-do list after to-do list and get lost in a task that you can derive immediate gratification from - cleaning out your beauty cabinet and drawers. That’s right, take all of your products out, give them a clean (or a toss), wipe down the area in which they live, and repopulate with ‘gram levels of arrangement. Go one step further and clean your makeup brushes and sponges, straightener, and any other frequently used tools. You’ll practically spring out of bed come Monday morning in anticipation of your highly-organised, boutique level beauty routine.
Shower hour
Sometimes, you have to shed some skin (quite literally) to rid yourself of a particularly bad week, bad month or a persistent feeling. If you’re generally just feeling yuck and irritable, you deserve a good session starting afresh. Commence with some dry brushing, which is great for detoxification and lymphatic drainage. Then follow with a body exfoliation to further help detox your body, improve circulation, stimulate your nervous system and promote lymph flow. Then hit the shower or soak in the tub for a top to toe cleanse. Next up, moisturise, tan (if you’re that way inclined), and take time to apply all your lotions, potions and polishes and slip into some fresh clean cotton. Bonus points for fresh bed sheets.
Let go
Many of us feel the need to be productive on the weekends, but having unstructured time to rest and regroup is essential for our health. So those unproductive Sundays? Start looking at them as a good thing.
