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Do you dread Sunday evenings?

Do you spend more of your time off in bed than you would like?

These are some tips to help you enjoy more restful time off free from rotting and Sunday Scaries.

If you aren’t familiar, “rotting” is a social media trend referring to spending an extended amount of time in bed doing nothing.

“Sunday Scaries” is a term for the anxiety that some of us experience at the thought of starting a new week.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m here for this “rot” trend. But I’ve discovered something very important about rotting. This mindset can help you a lot when it comes to your own well-being.

Rotting has its time and place, but I realized there is a difference between planned, intentional rotting and unintentional rotting. 

Intentionally taking time to do nothing when you feel depleted can help you reenergize yourself. I know sometimes I need time to myself to recharge.

But, I recognized I was spending most of Sunday in bed (unintentionally). It was making me feel bad and was actually making my Sunday Scaries worse! So I came up with a plan to practice self-care and combat this experience!

I identified some morning, daytime, and evening activities you can use to feel your best and overcome the Sunday Scaries and unintentional rotting.

I used Notion, my favorite productivity and organization app to create a list of all these tips to easily refer back to.

Sign up for Notion, if you want a fun, user-friendly organization tool!

Photo by Dapo Oni on Unsplash

Morning

Start your day in a way that sets you up to feel your best.

Get up at a decent time

Spending all day in bed makes me feel like I wasted a day that I could have spent on fun activities. 

My ideal Sunday starts with sleeping in, but still getting up with enough time to enjoy a fun and relaxing day!

I recommend making it a goal to get up a little earlier, giving you more time during the day to do the things you want to do.

Plan something to look forward to

If you struggle to get out of bed, a fun plan is a good way to motivate yourself to get up. Make sure this is something you feel excited about, not something you feel like you “should” do. 

Make this a “want to” and not a “have to.”

Anti-Rot and Anti-Sunday Scaries Plan Ideas

◇Plan a movie/craft day

◇Brunch with your friends

◇Sign up for a morning yoga class

◇Go to a farmer’s market

Daytime

Spending the day doing activities that bring you joy is an effective way to boost your mood and ward off negative emotions.

Anti-Sunday Scaries Plan Ideas:

◇Hang out with friends

◇Go to the park

◇Go for a walk/hike

◇Start a new book

◇Visit your favorite store

◇Explore your city

◇Spend time outdoors

◇Go to your favorite cafe/restaurant

Make sure your plans are low time-pressure 

Time pressure is a term that describes the stress that comes with feeling like you don’t have enough time for something.

I know feeling bound to a strict schedule can make me more anxious. 

I recommend that you make your Sundays more lowkey. Keep your plans flexible with loose time restrictions.

Avoid overly structured and rigid plans, so you don’t make yourself feel stressed or rushed.

@julia.sophh

Time Blocking Dos & Don’ts How to Use Time Blocking to Transform Your Time Management!🕓 Time-blocking is when you take tasks from your to-do list and schedule them into your calendar so you know when you will work on them. Make sure to go back and watch my last video to learn more about the basics of time-blocking. When used correctly, time-blocking is a helpful time-management tool. But, if you aren’t careful, time-bocking can feel overwhelming and can hinder your productivity. These are some tips to keep in mind to make time-blocking more effective. 🕑Assume activities will take longer than you think! Give yourself an overly generous amount of time for any activity to avoid feeling rushed. 🕑Don’t schedule too many things in one day. This can quickly lead to burnout. Leave a comment to let me know how time blocking works for you! And make sure to follow for more realistic and sustainable self-improvement tips!💗 #timeblocking #timemanagement #timemanagementtips #gentleproductivity

♬ sonido original – Life By Julia💖

Schedule your week

I know I can significantly reduce Sunday Scaries by planning for the coming week. 

Identify what you need to do and when you need to do it.

I have videos that go over some of my best tips for scheduling your week.

@julia.sophh

Start utilizing time-blocking and say goodbye to your never ending to-do list! Instead of keeping an arbitrary list of tasks, designate a time to work on each to-do list item. Schedule your to-do list items into your calendar, as if they were appointments. I rely on Google Calendar to stay organized. This method changed my organization game! But before you implement this time-management strategy, you need to know the Dos and Don’ts! Make sure to follow, because I am going to break down everything you need to know to use time blocking effectively! #timeblocking #timemanagement #timemanagementtips #timemanagementhacks #timeblockingforcreatives

♬ sonido original – Life By Julia💖 – Life By Julia💖

Read this blog post and watch these videos to learn how to use time-blocking to organize your week and manage your time effectively.

Scheduling your week helps you feel more organized and mentally prepared, which can help reduce your stress levels.

@julia.sophh

Understanding This is Key to Transforming Your Time Management! 🕑Give Yourself Deadlines Parkinson’s Law tells us work expands to fill the amount of time you have to complete it. This is why you sometimes procrastinate until the last-minute (we’ve all been there)! Setting deadlines for your goals creates a sense of urgency. Break your goal down into steps and give yourself specific deadlines for when to accomplish each step. Go back and watch other videos to learn how to use time blocking to get more done! Time-Blocking Basics @Life By Julia💖 Time Blocking Dos and Don’ts @Life By Julia💖 Follow for more simple habits to help you be your best self! #timemanagement #timemanagementtips #timeblocking #howtogetmoredone

♬ sonido original – Life By Julia💖

Experiment with different reset routines

Something else I learned about myself is that Sunday Resets (another popular social media trend) don’t work for me. Trying to do all my errands and chores on Sunday feels too overwhelming.

@julia.sophh

Stop doing Sunday Resets and start doing Friday Resets! Transition to doing your chores and errands on Friday to give yourself more time to relax over the weekend😌 This is something I’m trying, and I’m just suggesting you try it and see how it makes you feel. But if Sunday Resets work for you and you’re happy with that, then do you!💞 #fridayreset #sundayreset #fridayresetwithme #weeklyreset #weeklyresetroutine #lifestylecontentcreator #fridayvibes

♬ Intergalactic Janet – Ley Soul

If you feel similarly, experiment with Sunday Reset alternatives.

I started finding opportunities to fit errands and chores into my week, so I could spend Sunday relaxing.

Do something creative

Creative hobbies are so good for us. Expressing yourself creatively can feel very soothing.

And creating something can help you feel a sense of purpose, which is extremely useful for maintaining positive emotions. Plus, there are a lot of mental health benefits that come with crafting!

Read this post to learn how to use crafts to improve your mental health.

Talk to loved ones

Connection is another great way to ward off negative emotions.

Call/Facetime a loved one. Feel how connecting with someone you care about positively impacts your mood.

I was fortunate to have some family members visit this past Sunday. Spending time with them made me feel so happy and got me into a good mood for starting a new week!

Self-Care

Do at least one extra self-care activity. This can be anything that makes you feel extra special.

Anti-Sunday Scaries Self-Care Ideas

◇Paint your nails

◇Put on a face mask

◇Put on eye masks

◇Journal

Photo by David Schultz on Unsplash

Evening

Plan a relaxing evening that allows you to unwind before starting a new week.

Cook a nourishing meal (with leftovers)

Preparing a nourishing meal always helps me feel my best. 

Pick a recipe that is easy to double, giving you food to eat throughout the week.

Pro Tip: Get into the habit of pre-portioning your leftovers into containers. This habit makes it so you have meals ready for the coming week.

Aromatherapy

Use scented candles and/or essential oils to create a calming environment. 

Creating a comforting and relaxing atmosphere is a helpful way to reduce anxiety. Scents like lavender, chamomile, and peppermint are known for their soothing qualities.

Relaxing Nightcap

I love ending my day with a relaxing nightcap. The ritual is so soothing. 

For me, this is either Natural Vitality Calm Magnesium or herbal tea.

I know people also love their Sleepy Girl Mocktails. I haven’t tried this (yet), but that is another option for you.

I hope this post helps you!

I love discussing the habits that can help you feel your best and live your best life.

Make sure to sign up for my email list to get notified of new blog posts with tips to help you become the best version of yourself. And follow me on social media (links below) to stay connected and receive even more positive lifestyle content.