$pent Millennial

Ah, the Sunday scaries. That creeping anxiety that sneaks up on us as we realize the weekend is drawing to a close and Monday is just around the corner. This Sunday, I decided to combat those scaries head-on with a day dedicated to self-care. Here’s how I spent my Self-Care Sunday and some tips you might find helpful too.

Setting and Keeping Boundaries

This Sunday is Father’s Day, and my family planned a big celebration. But honestly, I wasn’t up for it. Not because of any family drama, but simply because work and life have been crazy lately, and I knew that this Sunday going into the week, I was going to need some time for myself. So, I set a boundary. I let my dad know that I would not be able to make the big event, but that I wanted to celebrate with him in a smaller way. 

I enjoyed a pre-Father’s Day dinner with my dad and skipped the big event today. It felt good to honor my needs and still celebrate with my dad. Can we normalize saying “I’m not up for it.” without some big excuse, reason or dramatics? 

Doing One Small Thing

This past week has been overwhelming. With work project, meetings and responsibilities stacking up, it seems like there are never enough hours in the day. And as the meetings, tasks and project overflow into the upcoming week, so is the stress. In addition to work, home projects, and well-intended decluttering have all been piling up. Today, I decided to do one small thing: I shredded papers while watching some mindless TV. It was a tiny task, but it made me feel productive and cleared out some physical and mental sapce while allowing me to relax at the same time.

Getting Outside

Despite feeling lazy and having a to-do list a mile long, I forced myself to get outside for a walk downtown. There’s something magical about fresh air and movement that almost always makes me feel better. And today was no exception. The walk helped clear my mind and boost my mood. 

Sticking to Your Routine, or Breaking It

It was tempting to ditch my blog post for the week and skip my spending tracking habit, just this once. But I knew I’d feel better if I stuck to my routine. So, after my walk, I spent a few hours writing and tracking my spending. And yes, it felt good to stick to my routine. 

That being said, if you need a break, take it. You can always get back to your routine tomorrow or next week.

Leaving Time to Wind Down

As I finish up this blog post and my personal spending tracking for the week, I’m planning to wind down for the night. I’ll turn off my brain and melt into some mindless TV like “Bridgerton” or a Lifetime movie marathon. It’s the perfect way to relax and prepare for the week ahead.

All day, I have been saying to myself, “I needed this”. I practiced self-care today by making myself a priority. 10/10, highly recommend.