Let’s be real, Sunday nights are kind of a bummer. We’ve all been there. Even if you enjoyed a relaxing weekend, checking off your “to do” list seems daunting. As soon as the evening hours hit, the thought of Monday morning starts creeping in without warning. You can’t help but think about all of the things you need to get done ASAP. Having a go-to Sunday night routine comes in handy during these moments.
Once you’ve established a consistent routine, the thought of Monday morning won’t seem nearly as scary!
The Sunday Night Blues
If you notice a spike in your stress levels on Sunday evenings, you’re not alone. Sunday night blues or “scaries” are very real. In fact, a recent Monster poll found that 76% of American workers reported getting Sunday night blues!
But why does this phenomenon happen? Well, it turns out that you’re mostly experiencing anticipation anxiety. Your body goes into a fight or flight mode, releasing cortisol and adrenaline. According to Dr. Susanne Cooperman, “They flood the system and you have a real stress reaction and it feels like real anxiety.”
Anticipation anxiety isn’t the only factor, though. You may be feeling unhappy at work, unmotivated, or have a lot on your plate.
It’s important to state that in some cases, regular Sunday night blues may be a sign of depression. If you begin to notice that these negative feelings are more severe and reoccurring, make sure to speak to your primary care doctor. They will be able to help you cope with your symptoms and provide you with a personalized treatment plan.
Why Having a Routine is Helpful
It’s 5 pm and your brain already begins to feel overloaded. If you have a consistent routine, you will feel a lot more in control of the situation. Instead of worrying about Monday morning, you’ll be able to follow a reliable schedule.
It’s important to create a Sunday night routine that works for you. Think of your routine as a mental checklist. What steps can you take to feel more prepared for the week ahead? Also, how can you find ways to actually enjoy your Sunday evening? A great nighttime routine will help you reframe how you view Sundays altogether!
Self Care Sunday Night Routine
1. Go grocery shopping and meal prep for the week.
Cooking dinner during the weekdays is a stressful endeavor! You’ve just come home after a long day and want to enjoy a peaceful evening. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to do that when you’re rushing to the grocery store. You’re racing to aisle five searching for some darn oregano for that garlic roasted potatoes recipe. Then you realize you need milk and an extra box of cereal for tomorrow…UGH!
Why not make this hectic grocery trip a peaceful Sunday adventure instead?
The best advice I’ve received from a family member is to meal prep on Sundays. It eliminates the stress you’ll feel on Monday evenings. Also, shopping is pretty fun when you’re not in a rush!
Even if you can’t meal prep for the entire week, start by focusing on dinner for Monday and Tuesday.
Best Cookbooks for Simple Recipes
The first step to meal prepping on Sundays is finding an easy recipe. You don’t need a library of cookbooks, but finding one or two favorites is a good idea. This is especially true if you’re a new cook.
My pet peeve when I first started cooking was complicated cookbooks. I didn’t have a lot of random ingredients in my pantry or know how to cook from scratch. It honestly was a headache!
These are some of my go-to cookbooks from over the years! They made learning how to cook so much simpler and more enjoyable. 💛
30-Minute One-Pot Meals by Jo Cismaru
What’s better than 30-minute meals? How about one-pot recipes? Now you don’t have to choose―yes, you can have both! Avoid spending hours in the kitchen and filling up your sink with dirty dishes.
The Best Simple Recipes by America’s Test Kitchen
The Best Simple Recipes offers more than 200 full-flavored easy-to-prepare recipes that can be on the table in 30 minutes or less in an easy-to-read paperback format.
Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat by Chrissy Teigen
Maybe she’s on a photo shoot in Zanzibar. Maybe she’s making people laugh on TV. But all Chrissy Teigen really wants to do is talk about dinner. Or breakfast. Lunch gets some love, too.
The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook by Mary Younkin
The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook is the perfect way to get dinner on the table quickly and easily with recipes for tasty main dishes and flavorful side dishes, plus a sprinkling of sweet treats.
All About the Slow Cooker
Another life saver for me has been a slow cooker. All you have to do is dump the ingredients into the slow cooker, let the food heat up for a few hours, and that’s it! Dinner is served! You can simply let the slow cooker take care of dinner and meal prep for Monday. Talk about a chill Sunday!
Right now, Amazon has awesome slow cookers for less than 30 dollars!
Meal Kit Services
Meal Kit ServicesA great alternative is to try a meal kit service! Companies like Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, and Home Chef offer tasty preprepared meals with fresh ingredients.
I’ve tried Home Chef before and they offer affordable meals. One of the best recipes I’ve tried is their chipotle BBQ crusted chicken. Meal kit recipes are not as yummy as homemade meals, but they’re wonderful if you’re on a tight schedule.
2. Get started on any exciting work projects.
Next, consider getting a head start on a work project that excites you. It’s vital to take a break during the weekends — you need time to rest. With that being said, sometimes keeping your mind busy lowers anxiety levels. For example, maybe you’re an artist and want to work on a new design. Feel free to let your mind explore, as long as it’s fun!
Alejandro enjoys working on his school projects during the weekends. He’ll drink a cup of coffee and read about data analytics on the couch. It’s truly fun for him because he enjoys his field of study!
But what if your current job doesn’t exactly excite you? I’ve got you covered!
I work at a call center, y’all. This means that I don’t have projects at work per se. However, I consider blogging my passion even if it’s not my full-time job. I look forward to researching for posts, writing, and working on designs.
If you enjoy singing, record a cover of your favorite song. Learn an instrument. Work on an interior design project. Make a DIY craft. Do whatever sparks your interest and makes you happy!
If you’re not exactly sure what project you want to start, here are 29 Hobbies For People Who Really Want A Hobby But Have No Idea Where To Start!
3. Add to your evening skincare regimen.
If you’re not feeling Sunday, skincare before bed might help you get out out of that funk. You’ll feel refreshed and pampered! I’ve been super into skincare lately and have stacked up quite a few favorites. Look up top skincare products on Google or ask a friend for their recommendations! Also, think about making a homemade face mask with fresh ingredients!
Skincare Faves
Pacifica Beauty Pineapple Cleanse Oil Slaying Face Wash
I’m obsessed with this face wash! This cleanser leaves my skin smooth and soft. I’ve always wanted to try Pacifica, but just hadn’t gotten a chance to pick up one of their products. Thankfully, an Ulta associate recommended this face wash to me and I’ve been using it for a couple of months now. It truly smells like the beach!
Pixi Hydrating Milky Mist
Another must have of mine lately has been face mist. All of a sudden we’re in the 90s in Chicago and I hate feeling sweaty. I picked up Pixi’s milky mist at Target the other week and I’m going to keep purchasing this product. It’s on the pricier side, but the formula is high quality and effective!
Skincare Routine Resources
You can also research skincare by watching videos and reading blog posts. Personally, I’ve been loving Vogue’s beauty secrets series on YouTube. My favorite video was from Ella Mai because she gave such great tips for people with sensitive skin!
Don’t forget to check out some of these amazing skincare blog posts:
- Rebecca Rose — My Current Evening Skincare Routine
- Elsie LMC — My Skincare Wish List – March 2019
- Jenny in Neverland — My Relationship With Beauty and Skincare
4. Watch YouTube videos from your favorite creators.
To help you unwind, watch some upbeat YouTube videos from your favorite creators. YouTube videos are easier to digest because they aren’t as long as a standard TV show. Plus, it’s always nice to keep up with your fave YouTubers.
A couple of years ago, I worked at a job that gave me so much anxiety on Sunday nights. If I was feeling panicky, I’d watch vlogs and makeup videos. They lifted my mood almost immediately!
Some of my favorite YouTubers are Mia Maples, Jamie & Nikki, Peter Monn, and Gabi DeMartino!
If you’re into fashion, you’d love Mia Maples! Plus, she’s a sweetheart!
Jamie & Nikki are an adorable family vlogging channel. Even just hearing their intro song makes me happy. It’s calming and sweet!
At the moment, I watch Peter Monn all the time! He is a drama channel, but adds a positive spin on everything. I absolutely love his sense of humor too!
When he starts his videos, he always answers his “drama phone” and speaks to his gossip loving friend, Jane! Omg, I crack up every time I hear “House of drama, drama phone. This is Peter speaking. OOOOH HIIII JANE! HOW ARE YOUUU?”
I would totally recommend his videos because he’s such a lovely guy. Even Alejandro watches with me!
Aside from Peter, I am a fan of Gabi DeMartino’s “Fancy Vlogs.” She and her boyfriend are adorable. I also like her elegant and cute aesthetic!
5. Call your best friend and vent.
Finally, call up a friend and chat openly about your day. Sometimes, you just need to vent to someone you trust! Maybe it’s your grandma, best friend, or S/O. Expressing your thoughts will make you feel so much lighter.
As part of my Sunday night routine, I always call up my coworker and we vent about work. Since I work in customer service, we have a lot of crazy (and often times hilarious) stories about our customers. After our phone chats, the thought of Monday morning doesn’t seem so bad anymore! Things are much better after a few chuckles and silly stories!
Download Sunday Night Routine Checklist Here!
Do you have a Sunday night routine or a few go-to rituals? If not, would you ever create a routine for Sunday nights? Also, which one of these tips is most helpful?
Omg this is so helpful. Thanks!
Fabulous post (as always!) I’m definitely a big “Sundays Blues” sufferer so this is really helpful – I find meal prep is one of the most useful things for me feeling like I have my life together (and making sure that I’m saving money!) xxx
Thank you, hon!! I’m so happy that you found this post helpful!! 💛 The Sunday Blues are just terrible! It’s so interesting to hear how common they are too!
I totally agree — meal prepping on Sundays is such a good way to stay on top of things.
Also, YES!! Eating out at a restaurant is extremely pricey! It’s nice to eat at home, cause the food is healthier for you and it’s so much cheaper!
Thank you for your sweet comment, dear!! x
I definitely get stressed out at the end of my weekend. I’m on vacation right now but I’m already dreading getting back to work, it’s been so nice to just be away from everything.
I’d love to get into meal prepping more, it would make my life so much easier. And I do love treating myself to a face mask or two during my days off 🙂
Great post!
Aww, I hope you ended up having a wonderful vacation, Cleia! 💓
I’m the exact same way when it comes to Sundays, girl. That’s why I’m like I really need to cover this topic! I feel like this is such a collective experience for everyone!
Meal prepping on Sundays helps a ton! I’m not as good at it as I would like, but it’s been a lifesaver for Alejandro and me. Face masks are also the best, totally agree lol!! Applying a face mask is always a nice way to pamper yourself!
Hope you’re doing well and having a nice evening, dear! x
Thank you! It was nice to be away from work for a little while.
I had never thought about it before so I’m glad that you wrote about it, because I think I was subconsciously becoming more stressed at the end of the week and not really realizing why!
Thank you I hope you’re doing well too! Enjoy your weekend 🙂
This is such a lovely post and a great way to overcome the Sunday Night Blues. I love the idea of working on exciting projects, that is such a positive way to get ready for a brand new week. I love filling out my planner on a Sunday with ideas and things to do to keep me motivated and inspired. I also love relaxing with YouTube vids too, so enjoyable and often full of inspo too. Thanks for sharing your fab suggestions Nunzia, have a great week! <3 xx
Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com
Awww, thank you Bexa!! 💛
Planning on Sunday nights is so great– it definitely makes you feel more productive and in control of the week ahead! Plus, I love doodling in my planner hehe!! Also, YT is my go-to method for relaxing, aside from reading blogs 💓Thank you again for reading and your sweet comment! I hope you’re having a fantastic Wednesday, hon!! Enjoy the rest of your week too!! x
Amazing post! Thanks for giving so many tips and tricks to battle the Sunday blues. Love how it talks about positivity and ways to incorporate that into routine!
Thank you so much, Katrina!! I’m so happy you enjoyed the tips!! Sunday night can be a bummer sometimes, but I truly believe that there are ways to make the evening a more positive and enjoyable experience. 💓 Thank you for stopping by and reading, dear! x
Idk if i missed an update, but im really loving ur blog theme rn it looks different than before!
I love work projects!! well i don’t really need to do any work projects tbh but i do a lot of non-work related stuff on the computer at work (Lol) so i should do those when im home and i should get to those heeh
I actually hung out with a friend on Friday so I like that you included that in #5!
This post is so helpful and dang u do your research! I usually have a routine checked on my phone but it keeps changing and I don’t stick to what I write down! I’m gonna try this time cause now that I work, I really have to get myself more organized.
Aww thanks, Kiki! Yeah I changed the theme! 💛I’ve been working on updating the site these past few weeks and have a different schedule now too. I’m posting on Fridays and every other Wednesday! 😊
Hehehe!! I wish I could work on my non-work projects at work, but unfortunately I can’t 😂Since I work at a call center, they’re super strict about devices on the floor, especially phones!
That’s so great that you hung out with your friend! I hope you had a nice time with them! 💗
Shucks, stoooop, you’re too kind, girl lol!! Thank you, I really appreciate that!! I truly love researching for and writing these self care posts!
Keeping a consistent routine is definitely tricky! I find that it helps if you keep a bullet journal and track your habits that way. Bullet journaling has been a life saver for me! My schedule is always changing too and I feel like I’m finally starting to get it down!
Thanks for checking out the post, dear! I hope you’re having a good weekend! x
Wow!! What an awesome post, Nunzia!! This is really valuable. I love how you gave practical and active tips to fight the Sunday Scaries! Thanks for sharing <3
Awww, thank you, Mackenzie!! 💓You’re a sweetheart! When I drafted the post, I wanted to focus on small and practical tips that have personally helped me in the past and even now. So happy you found these tips helpful! Thank you so much for reading, dear! x
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Thank you for sharing this, in this increasingly hectic world of ours, its getting harder and harder to be mindful of ourselves! Great post!
Thanks for reading, Cordelia!! I’m really glad you enjoyed the post! 💓It’s definitely important to focus on taking care of yourself, especially when things get hectic or overwhelming. Taking little steps like these can help combat the stressors of everyday life! Hope you’re having a nice weekend! x