Self-Care Sunday
Start to finish: a step-by-step guide to starting your own self-care Sunday routine.
Self-Care Sunday eBook
So often life gets in the way of taking care of ourselves. But self-care is a necessity - not a luxury. In order to be our best selves and make the biggest impact in the world, we need to invest in our own well-being. It’s time we start making ourselves a priority in our own lives.
This self-soothing and mood-boosting eBook will help you set up a fun and easy-to-do self-care Sunday routine to try out this weekend!
Self-care is not a luxury. It's not something that you do when you're feeling down or stressed, (but by all means, do self-care when you have had a bad day) rather it should be practiced every day. Self-care isn't selfish—it's actually the opposite! When we take care of ourselves, we can impact our world the most. We all need it, whether we realize it or not—everyone goes through ups and downs, especially when they feel like they don’t have control over their lives.
You deserve it!
How do you feel when you don’t take care of yourself? You feel like crap! And worse, you probably start to blame yourself.
You see, it’s easy to tell yourself that if you were better at self-care and more in tune with your needs, then maybe your life would be different. But the truth is that even if we were all great at setting boundaries and saying no, saying yes only when we wanted to say yes—even if we could master that level of self-love—we still wouldn't always get what we want (or need). Sometimes people will just disappoint us because they're human beings who have their own issues and can't help themselves; sometimes our friends will leave us because nothing lasts forever; sometimes bad things happen that are out of our control or beyond our power to fix.
But here's what I know: as long as there is breath in me and breath in those around me I am responsible for my well-being first and foremost. It's not selfish or narcissistic for me to put myself first! It is just the opposite. Self-love is one of the most important things any person can practice if they want a happy life filled with joy, love, abundance & success (and who doesn't?).
So this week treat yourself right!
Why do YOU need it?
When you do something for yourself that makes you feel good about yourself, your whole day changes for the better. It's like putting gas in your car: if you don't fill up regularly, then eventually it won't go very far from where you are now—but if you keep topping off regularly with self-care (aka filling up on gas), then one day soon there'll be nothing but open road ahead of you!
How will you benefit?
Self-care is not just good for your mental health, it's good for your physical health too. It will help you feel better, sleep better and cope with difficult situations. Self-care also makes you more productive, creative, and resilient. Self-care improves your cognitive functions. Whenever I have been stressed out and unable to calm down it’s mostly because I have not taken the time to take a break and take care of myself.
”Engaging in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimize frustration and anger, increase happiness, improve energy, and more.” More info like that found here. What is Self-Care and Why is it Important For You? By Matthew Glowiak. 04,14,2020. -Southern New Hampshire University
What will you learn?
You'll learn:
How to relax and refocus your energy on yourself
How to take a relaxing and luxurious bath
How to organize your space
How to stretch your body
How to reflect on your day, or even just one part of it, through journaling or other methods
This eBook gives five simple self-care activities to help you relax and refocus your energy on yourself:
Step 1. Relax and Body Check-in
The first step to self-care is taking some time for yourself. Start by relaxing, focusing on your breath, and body checking in. Take several deep breaths and listen to your body as it moves through space.
How does each part of the body feel? Is there any tension or tightness anywhere? Do they feel heavy or light? Are they warm or cool? If it’s helpful, use this time as an opportunity to visualize each part of yourself—your feet and legs, arms and hands, torso and neck—and notice how they relate to one another as you move through space.
Once you have a sense of where there might be any tension (typically in the neck/shoulders/upper back area), gently stretch those muscles by extending them outwards in opposite directions (i.e., stretching away from one another). Focus on these areas until they feel relaxed again before moving on through different parts of the body until everything feels more aligned with where it should be
Step 2. Tidy Up and Organize
Tidy the house
Tidy or Organize the kitchen. ( Put dishes in the dishwasher and set a timer for it to start later)
Organize the living room (put things back in their right place)
Organize the bedroom. (make sure the surfaces are clean, and things are put away)
Tidy or Organize the bathroom (this can include cleaning, decluttering, and organizing)
Organize your car: clean it out, organize any paperwork or electronic devices that you have in there, etc. If you don't have a car but still drive regularly (e.g., if you take public transportation), organize your backpack or briefcase. Let’s start the week off fresh and right!
Step 3. Relax and Bathtime
Relax and take a bath. I like to use bath salts, face masks, body scrubs, and hair masks in my bath—it’s a great way of unwinding after a long week or even just as a treat to yourself at the end of one! If you need some ideas on making your bath more enjoyable, check out this free download of bath recipes COMING SOON!
Don't forget that massaging your scalp with oil can help keep hair shiny and healthy-looking too!
Step 4. Full Body Stretch
When you’re feeling stressed, it can be hard to relax. But stretching is a great way to help you de-stress, especially after a long day at work or school. Stretching releases the stress hormones in your body and allows you to feel less anxious.
Stretching is also a fantastic way to improve sleep quality, which can make us feel more rested and energetic throughout the day. When we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies don't have time for muscle recovery (which helps us stay healthy). So when we wake up tired in the morning or fall asleep at our desks during class or at work, we may be suffering from a lack of restorative sleep due to exercise not being paired with adequate recovery time—and that's where stretching comes into play! By adding some light stretches before bedtime (I recommend 15 to 30 minutes), even if it doesn't help much with falling asleep faster once tucked under covers (since many people still find themselves tossing around), those muscles will still receive greater benefits due primarily because they're warmed up before going into deep REM cycles without causing any extra stress on joints/bones...
Self-Care Sunday eBook
Step 5. Reflect and Journal
You've just spent some time doing something you love and now it's time to reflect on what you learned. First, stop and think about your experience.
What did you do?
How did it make you feel?
What was your intention going into the experience? What was the outcome of that intention?
What obstacles did you face or thoughts did you have during the process? How were these obstacles overcome or thoughts dealt with?
Did anyone else participate in this activity with you and if so, how did their participation affect the outcome for both of them individually as well as for all members of the group (if applicable)? What can we learn from this experience that will help us improve our relationships in future activities together (if applicable)?
“You are the GREATEST project you will ever work on.”
What do you do when you feel like your health is suffering? Take these steps to get back on track!
Invest in some restorative sleep: Sleep is essential for feeling energized, but it’s also important for stress management and mental clarity. Consider investing in blackout curtains for better sleep at night (or during nap time).
Treat yourself with kindness and compassion: Self-compassion means recognizing that everyone makes mistakes from time to time, including yourself! Instead of beating yourself up over it (which only makes things worse), practice self-forgiveness by saying something like “I forgive myself for not getting enough sleep last night because I was so busy working on my project." This may sound silly at first but studies show that practicing acts of forgiveness actually helps us feel happier overall—and who doesn't want more happiness?
Grab your interactive Self-Care Sunday workbook!
Just sign up below for my newsletter (you can unsubscribe at any time) and I’ll send you an email with self-care ideas and reminders you can plan for the weekends. It's just that simple!
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Download the ebook and read it whenever you want, wherever you want—in bed, on the train, at your desk… wherever! There are no rules here other than to take care of yourself!
You get access to everything in this guide: tips on how to make self-care a priority, exercises and activities inspired by nature and mindful living practices, plus lots more!
Make yourself a priority this weekend with my guide to setting up your very own Self-Care Sunday routine!
Self-care is a necessity. It’s not something you do only when you're feeling bad or you want to feel good; it's something you do regularly because self-love and self-respect are non-negotiable.
I’ve always been drawn to the idea of self-care because it feels like this unattainable goal that I have to work towards but will never reach. And while I certainly believe in its importance and potentiality, at this point in my life, I'm very much living in the midst of my own reality: one where money is tight, time seems scarce (as do resources and energy), relationships are messy (to say the least), anxiety has been heightened by recent events... And then there are those days where everything just clicks together perfectly—a successful day at work with lots of compliments from coworkers; quality time spent with friends over dinner/drinks; having an interesting conversation with someone new, but these moments aren't necessarily what define me as an individual anymore because they don't show up often enough!
Living a healthier life is difficult enough without the additional stresses of COVID-19. So, it’s more important now than ever that we take care of ourselves and our loved ones when they need us most. This self-care Sunday eBook will help you do just that!
-Annalise
IN-STOCK DIGITAL EBOOK.
All the self-care, none of the stress. The interactive eBook that brings together Sunday Self-Care, How to Slow Down and Take Care of Yourself. Our interactive eBook takes you through a five-step routine calling on different senses and activities designed to destress, brighten, enrich and energize you. “Hello Sunday” is the perfect gift for someone who feels like they never have enough time - or just to treat yourself!
