My Sunday Rituals | What are yours?

For me, Sunday is a day of “rest”. It’s the day I tidy up, take stock of the upcoming week, and genuinely make sure my head is screwed on my shoulders straight before Monday! Even though I work from home, most of my clients operate on a M-F schedule so I tend to as well.

Although I'm kind of person who doesn’t have a “normal” when it comes to my schedule - I like the tradition I keep with myself of thinking of Sunday as a day of rest and intentional self/life care that I may be too busy for the rest of the week.

Today I thought I’d share 10 Sunday Rituals with you that I can’t live without - and I’d love to know yours!

Throughout, you’ll find some of my favorite snaps recently of places and moments that gave me a sense of peace. :)

Sunday Rituals I Can’t Live Without

1. Tidying up

I have always worked best in order - and while I can withstand a mess for awhile, I’ve never had a tolerance for dirt. Getting the house tidy before the rest of the week means I get to wake up on Monday and live/work in a lovely, orderly space. I notice a significant decline in my energy and productivity when I don’t do this - so even when I’m feeling lazy - I try to boot myself into action.

2. Getting to the beach

I live in Seattle - in no small part - because it’s on the ocean. I don’t think it’s possible to be deeply stressed standing next to the sea. If I want to recenter and refocus, a trip to the beach does the trick every time.

3. Cooking

I don’t blog much here about my cooking - but I love to cook. I’m a big fan of making up 3-4 course meals on an average weeknight, and trying out new projects like puff pastry which is just as complicated as the Great British Baking Show promises it will be. One of my all-time favorite things to do is to cook a huge Sunday breakfast.

4. Thriftshopping

Another favorite Sunday ritual is heading to Goodwill or Salvation Army for a thrifting session. I grew up shopping second-hand, and while I don’t necessarily need to for every purchase anymore, I enjoy saving money and the fun of the hunt!

5. Yoga

Getting a yoga class in on a Sunday is always a 100% sure-fire way to start the week off right. I also don’t blog much here about yoga, but it regularly plays a big part in my life.

6. Trashy TV

Yep - I said it. I’ll even go so far as to say that my favorite guilty pleasure is watching The Voice. I love it, and I can’t not. I spend a lot of time doing heady writing, or working on semi-political social/justicey things - so getting to tune out of all of that and watch something so sparkly and surreal is amazing at times.

7. Taking the most awesome shower/self spa date

Maybe more of the ladies will get this - but when you’re moving, moving, moving all week there is nothing more luxurious than slowing down enough to do a face mask. It feels great and smells great, what’s not to love?

8. Doing a project

I love a good project on a Sunday. For me this often takes the form of tinkering around with plants - check out the terrarium I made last week! I love getting to let my creativity come out in a hands-on way, especially since so often my medium is confined to the written word.

9. Going to do something arty

Sometimes this means a play, sometimes an exhibit. Whatever it is, going to do something arty rejuvenates me - even if I spend a lot of my time thinking about these things anyway. No matter what is happening, being in a theatre is the most refreshing place for me to be.

10. And lastly - the MOST IMPORTANT RITUAL - not trying to “do it all”.

I can try to pack in way too much in any one day - and in order to rest - you just can’t do that. I try to be intentional about moving at a moderate pace on Sundays and letting myself take the time I need to fill my cup back up!

Hey Lily - why are you writing about these rituals? Seems random.

Well, I had a long week friends. I’m unusually tired - and even though I’m busting at the seams with excitement about things like my work in prison, or an upcoming art project in Hawai’i, or any other one of numerous exciting things - I need to take the time today to rest. So, rather than trying to be productive - I’m writing about it here - to remind myself that rest is good and important.