Hello there!! Oh look at me being such a successful adult - being so on top of everything that I've been able to write and preschedule a bonus post!! This is what happens when I can have my sole focus on my blog and not have to worry about university assignments or exams. 

The past month or so I've started this thing I like to do; I've called it Self(care) Sunday. This means that I've allowed myself to dedicate Sunday's to myself. As you're probably aware from my constantly rambling and whinging, I've been finding the past few months (let's be real, it's been about 2 years) very difficult. When I say difficult, it's mostly self inflicted. But I've been focusing too hard on both university grades and people around me.  

I find it quite difficult to immediately change my mindset - like, I can't go from 0 workouts a week to 7, I can't go from eating absolute shit to eating a raw diet. I have to start small and work my way up to it. With that in mind, I have started to allocate one day a week to myself. I find it hard to say no to people and forcing me to have a day to myself has encouraged me to start properly taking the time for me. 

Enough chit chat. I have a few categories that I incorporate on a Sunday in order to start the following week completely refreshed. 

Mind 

I like to start my Sunday morning by reading a few chapters of whatever novel I'm reading at the time, surrounded by lit candles and (if I can be bothered to get out of bed that early) a hot cup of tea. On every other morning during the week, I start by picking up my phone and scrolling through all forms of social media to check what's happened while I've been sleeping - usually just people out drinking or taking photos of their sleeping pets. By starting my Sunday morning with a book in hand, I allow myself to stay in my own little (selfish) bubble and not worry about what other people around me are doing. It's an oddly satisfying feeling to pretend that you're the only person in existance for an hour or two. 

Beauty 

Once I've put my book down (and maybe scrolled through Instagram), I like to have a ridiculously long shower (or bath) and just pamper myself. This means toning my hair, exfoliating my entire body, cleansing and toning my face and feeling refreshed. Once out of the shower I moisturise my whole body and put on my comfy robe to make breakfast. Again, this is something that I don't have time to do every single morning so it's nice to force myself into some pampering once a week. 

Usually on a Sunday night I will continue the beauty pampering by treating myself to a face mask. And if I'm feeling like I need an extra pick-me-up, I'll also give myself a simple little manicure/pedicure before hoping into bed. 

Body 

This differs depending on how I'm feeling that Sunday. Sometimes I'm in the mood to go for a long walk, a hike or even sometimes a run. Other days, I don't want to get out of my pj's. So when it comes to looking after my body, I do just that. I will either get active and work up a sweat to release endorphines and get my heartrate pumping and feeling good. Or, I will let my body relax from the previous week to begin the next day refreshed. 

Soul

Finally, when it comes to Self(care) Sunday, I'm all about looking after my soul. To do this, I find a church service is best. It allows me to reflect on my previous week, release any worries or stresses and be present in the moment. Like I said, there are some days when I don't want to leave my house - and for those days I am thankful that my church does a podcast so I can go back and listen to a previous week while lounging in my pj's. Or if I'm feeling good about the day, I can get ready and go to either the 10am or 6pm service. 

I know this may sound stupid and completely overrated, but after doing this for just over a month now I am beginning to feel refreshed, reenergised and am finally excited about the future again. Allowing myself to have a day where I do exactly what I want to do has made me realise all the situations I was previously putting myself into, just because I felt like I had to. I am now beginning to understand what it feels like to be utterly happy and energised. 

I urge you all to do the same!

XO