Self-Care Soulful Sundays

Sometimes I would wake up to the smell of Sunday dinner filling the entire house. It might have been being prepped at that very moment or I had the crock pot to blame for my stomach growling and my dreams being interrupted by thoughts of food at 8 a.m. And sometimes my mom and I would cook dinner together after church while listening to Chris Brown (my choice) or 90’s R&B (her choice).

Sundays were for relaxation, spending time with family, enjoying a good home-cooked meal, cleaning the house, and preparing for the week. Sunday’s were about self care before we knew how to put it into the right terminology. It was about self-care before we knew what self-care was.

As Black women – so used to taking care of others that we forget to take care of ourselves, self-care is new. We learned over the years that it’s imperative that you make room for yourself. It’s imperative that we feed our souls.

Below I provide a list of a few of my favorite things to do during my Self care/Soulful Sunday

1.Take a long shower/bath 

The best thing to do is to blast your R&B playlist or Rap (whatever you prefer), light a candle, and pour a glass of wine while you’re taking some necessary me time. I enjoy doing so right before getting in the bathtub or taking a long shower. For some reason, the aroma of the candle and the music heightens your personal time and produces a whole vibe.

2. Clean up the house

You might wonder why cleaning up would be apart of a self-care Sunday? I personally believe that it’s important to declutter your mind and your physical space. To be honest, it’s nearly impossible to declutter and completely clear your mind – if your space or your surroundings aren’t clean. Therefore, I make it a priority when I’m having a self-care Sunday to clean up my space, which may include washing clothes, cleaning the kitchen, organizing your bedroom, etc.

3. Do something fun/relaxing 

I always like to do something that I enjoy and don’t have the time to do on a regular basis. Some things that I enjoy that relax me and take the weight off are: reading, writing, cooking or scrapbooking. I may choose to do one of these activities or a few. It all depends on the day. I’ll start my day off with some reading, begin cooking a good meal, and write to end the night. Either way, do something that you enjoy and that may relax you. And if it just so happens to be a craft that helps your side hustle…that’s 10x better. Some ideas may include: working out, sewing, or painting/creating art.

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Photo by Femke Defrère from Pexels

4. Shop

Knock out your grocery list. Do a little shopping. Sometimes shopping is a great de-stressor and self-care Sunday activity. Getting your shopping out the way reduces the headache and risk of having to do the shopping during the week after work when ( 9 chances out of 10) you don’t feel like it. I suggest getting it out the way early so you have the rest of the day to self-care and to avoid the crowd.

5. Binge watch 

One of my all time favorite things to do is binge watch a good television show or watch a GREAT movie. A great story line truly hooks me and keeps me invested. This definitely takes up some time and frees your mind. It’s always lots of fun and even better with a great snack like some popcorn, chips, or ice cream. Whether watching a new movie or a classic nostalgia film, the time will be very well spent watching a hopefully good storyline that isn’t yours.  

Whatever you choose to do on your Sunday…make sure you take some time out for yourself. Practice self-care and be soulful.