5 Ways to Set Yourself Up for a Good Week Ahead
You know how it is…there you are, enjoying your weekend, those two days off from the workweek and around 6 p.m. on Sunday you start to feel that sense of dread…Monday morning is just hours away. We’ve all felt that at one time or another – it started years before with a feeling of dread for the coming school week that just morphed into your current adult version.
There are some ways though that you can minimize the stress and set yourself up for a good week ahead without that rushed feeling when the alarm goes off Monday morning. Here are 5 ways to help…
- Prepping Ahead
Prepping ahead helps to alleviate that rushed feeling you get when you are hurrying to work with your mind racing with that to-do list for the week. Prepping for the week ahead or even just one day in advance can give you a feeling of control and a sense of peace. These advance preparations can be anything from meal prepping your lunch, filling the car with gas, choosing what clothes you’ll wear and setting your things by the door.
2. Plan your week
If you have things that you need to schedule, like doctor or dentist appointments, taking your children to events, or getting your clothes from the cleaner, write those all down on a planner to call about at the top of the week or enter as a reminder in your phone. If you’re like me, you have so much to juggle that remembering everything week to week is tough. Setting reminders, single or recurring in my phone, keeps me on track and from that awful feeling when I remember something important I forgot. It takes a few minutes but saves a lot of time in the long run.
3. Exercise
Maybe thinking of exercising on a cozy Sunday is the farthest thing from your mind, but hear me out. An easy, simple half hour of working out (think yoga, stretching or walking) can do wonders for not only your body but also your mind. Exercising can calm a racing mind and lift your spirits, which can help you enjoy the remaining Sunday night hours and help you get a good nights sleep. There are so many terrific YouTube videos with workouts that you can choose from – one I like is Sanne Vloet’s Pilates videos from Soul Sync Body. I think getting outside if the weather is nice is always the best as you can take in Vitamin D and I find it helps me think through things that have been weighing on my mind – always makes me feel better.
4. Wellness
Continuing with that thought, Sunday is the perfect day to get in some wellness for yourself. A long hot bath with a cup of tea, treating yourself to face masks, a foot soak, painting your nails, anything that you normally can’t fit in during the busy workweek. Even R&R fits into this list as downtime with a book or a film where you can just relax and feel cozy goes a long way to rejuvenating your well being.
5. Something to Look Forward To
Lastly, I think planning something to look forward to, even if it’s a small thing like leaving early enough for a stop at a cafe to actually sit for a few with a cup of coffee or a plan to go out with friends at lunch or after work really helps you get out of bed in the morning. Stopping after work to get some flowers at Trader Joe’s, some wine and some ingredients for a good dinner can be something nice to look forward to or maybe a plan to meet a friend for a workout class. In the summer many communities have free evening outdoor concerts or films where you can bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy with neighbors and friends. If you’re just too busy during the week, then scheduling something for the weekend, concerts, dinners out, museum visits, shopping trips, anything that you could look forward to can help you end the week with something you know you’ll enjoy.
We all face the Sunday evening blues…but with a few tweaks, you can set yourself up for a good week ahead and a weekend you can truly look forward to!