Mental health: my ideal sunday routine.

Nov 20, 2016 | 4 comments

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Én af de ting som virkelig giver mig ro i sindet og som gør, at jeg genvinder mine kræfter til en ny og spændende uge er, at have en rolig men produktiv søndag. Jeg giver her mine bedste tips til, hvordan jeg personligt sørger for, at mandag morgen i særdeleshed slet ikke virker så skræmmende.

  1. Skriv den kommende uges begivenheder ned. Vi har et lille whiteboard hængende i køkkenet med en ugeplan. Her skriver jeg hver søndag, hvilke aktiviteter vi har den kommende uge. Det skaber ro i sindet, i stedet for de kører i ring inde i hovedet. Det giver mig ikke mindst overblik over de “åndehuller” jeg har i løbet af ugen. Med åndehuller mener jeg aftener eller dage hvor jeg ikke skal noget. Hvis jeg har en travl uge, så kan alene tanken om disse åndehuller være med til, at holde mit energi niveau oppe; “det er okay jeg har travlt de næste to dage – på fredag kan jeg slappe helt af”. De dage er essentielle for mig, og de bliver prioriteret hver eneste uge.
  2. Træning. Fredag og lørdag er de dage, hvor vi bestiller en pizza, spiser rundstykker eller køber noget blandselv slik, men søndag er dagen hvor jeg tager fat på træning og sund kost igen. Bare for at “få renset ud”, få mere energi og tage forskud på følelsen af, at mandag bare kan komme an. For den følelse giver træningen mig, uden at lyve! Hvis du ikke allerede ved det, så er fysisk træning noget af det bedste du kan gøre for dit sind, og jeg må bare sige, at det virkelig gør sig gældende for mig. Jeg træner ikke kun for at holde mig sund og slank fysisk, men også fordi det bestemt kan mærkes på mit mentale helbred hvis der går for mange dage imellem min træning. Jeg træner gerne en time om søndagen, men i løbet af ugen er ca. 30 minutter fx tirsdag og torsdag nok til mig.
  3. Hængepartier. Brug lidt tid på, at få indhentet dét, du har forsømt i løbet af ugen. Det kan være du mangler at få vasket tøj, gjort rent, vaske bil, lave madplan eller måske er der et projekt du længe ubevidst har gået og stresset lidt over. Selvom man kan have en følelse af, at man virkelig ikke gider bruge sin søndag på praktiske opgaver, så er følelsen af at få det gjort uvurderlig. Hvis du ikke når det hele er det ok. Skriv dem ned et eller andet sted, og gør det en anden dag.
  4. Denne er egentlig lidt i tråd med nummer 3, men brug lidt tid på, at skabe orden i kaos. Ryd op i din makeup skuffe, vask dine makeup børster, stryg det tøj du har i dit skab som er krøllet. Du ved, nogle af de små ting som kan glæde dig i hverdagen den kommende uge, at du brugte lidt tid på, at får styr på i søndags.
  5. Stå tidligt op. Denne er der nok lidt delte meninger om 😉 Hvis man (som jeg) er A-menneske, og kan få hevet sig selv lidt tidligt ud af fjerene selv på en søndag, så når man altså rigtig mange ting på sådan en dag. Og så kan man jo altid tage en lille lur ud på eftermiddagen. Dem er jeg selv fan af.
  6. Få slappet af! Nogle gange, så har man bare brug for, at trække stikket og lave ingenting. Så selvom det er lidt paradoksalt at denne er med på listen (fordi jeg godt kan lide at være lidt produktiv om søndagen), så tror jeg det er vigtigt, at have en sund balance i forhold til, også bare at give sig selv lov til at sove længe og gå rundt i nattøj hele dagen, hvis det er dét man har mest behov for. Jeg kan godt lide at stå tidligt op, fordi jeg er mest effektiv om formiddagen. Når jeg har nået det jeg gerne vil, så har jeg stadig hele aftenen til bare at flade ud. Og så føles det bare dejligere at slappe af, når man har været lidt produktiv først! Man behøver ikke nå det hele, men lidt har også ret.
  7. Få handlet ind til den kommende uge. Vi er begyndt at lave aftensmad sådan at vi har til to aftner i træk. Det er så dejligt de aftner, hvor vi har rester fra dagen før, for så kan man bruge tiden på at få trænet, slappet af, blogget eller hvad man nu gerne vil i stedet for at stå i køkkenet.
  8. Lav lækker sund brunch. Vi laver sommetider sunde protein pandekager med frugt og røræg til. Det er hyggeligt at stå i køkkenet sammen og kokkerere når man rigtig har tid til det, og så er sådan en hjemmelavet brunch altså bare vildt undervurderet!

[pullquote width=”300″ float=”left”]Here are my best tips for how I personally ensure that Monday morning in particular, does not seem so scary.[/pullquote]

/ One of the things that really gives me peace of mind and makes me regain my strength for a new and exciting week is to have a quiet but productive Sunday. Here are my best tips for how I personally ensure that Monday morning in particular, does not seem so scary.

  1. Write the coming week’s events down. We have a small whiteboard hanging in the kitchen with a weekly schedule. Here I write every Sunday, what the activities for next week are. It’s nice to write those things down instead of having them running in circles inside the head. It also gives me an overview of the “breaks” I have during the week. With breaks I mean evenings or days where I just chill and do nothing. If I have a busy week, then the bare thought of these little breaks help keep my energy level up; “It’s okay I’m busy the next two days – on Friday I can completely relax.” These days are essential for me and they are prioritized every week.
    2. Training. Friday and Saturday are the days when we order a pizza, eat white bread or buy candy, but Sunday is the day when I get back to training and healthy diet again. Just to “clean out”, have more energy and anticipate the feeling that Monday is no big deal. Because that is, truthfully, the feeling exercise gives me! If you do not already know, exercise is one of the best things you can do for your mind, and I must say that it really applies to me. I do not train just to keep me healthy and keep my weight physically, but also because it certainly has a huge effect on my mental health. If it has been too many days between my training I feel it straight away. I like to exercise one hour on Sundays, but during the week I only exercise 30 minutes for example Tuesdays and Thursdays, and that does it for me.
    3. Get things done. Take some time to catch up with what you have missed during the week. It may be that you need to get some clothes washed, get some cleaning done around the house, wash the car, make a meal plan  for the following week or maybe there’s a project you’ve been wanting to get on with for a while. Although you may have a feeling that you really don’t want to spend Sundays on practical tasks, the feeling of getting it done is just the best! You don’t have to do it all in one day. Write them down somewhere and do it another day.
    4. This is actually a little in line with number 3, but spend some time getting rid of chaos. Clean up your makeup drawer, wash your makeup brushes, iron the clothes you have in your closet that are wrinkled. You know, some of the little things that can delight you every day the following week.
    5. Get up early. This is probably not for everyone 😉 If you (like me) like to wake up early in the morning even on a Sunday, you can get SO many things done during the day. And then you can always take a little nap in the afternoon. I’m a huge fan of those.
    6. Chill out! Sometimes you just need to unplug and doing nothing. So although it is somewhat a paradox that this is on the list (because I like to be a little productive on Sundays), I think it’s important to have a healthy balance in relation to just allow yourself to sleep in and keep your PJ’s on all day if that’s what you need the most. I like to get up early because I am most effective in the morning. When I have reached what I wanted, I still have the whole evening to just chill out. And so it just feels nicer to relax when you have been a little productive first! 
    7. Go grocery shopping. We like to make dinner so that we have food for two evenings in a row. It’s so nice on the evenings when we have leftovers from the day before, because then you can use that time to exercise, chill out, do a little blogging or whatever you want instead of standing in the kitchen.
    8. Make a delicious healthy brunch. We sometimes make healthy protein pancakes with fruit and scrambled eggs on the side. It’s so nice to cook together on sundays, and a great homemade brunch is just wildly underestimated.

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4 Comments

  1. Emma

    I love these tips. I always take the time on sunday to clean up my space, so that when the new week starts I can start it fresh and with things I actually want to achieve, and not cleaning…

    Reply
  2. Tracey Shull

    So much good advice in this post! It is full of wisdom and practical ways to be responsible and organized, yet make time for rest and down time. I agree that getting chores or projects done is a wonderful anxiety reducer, as is a hot bath, a good workout, and time to just read or think. I exercise almost every day, and try to take short nap every day I am home, too—those two things are the best mental and physical health investments I make in myself, and I really feel the difference if I skip either for more than a day or two. Thank you for summarizing a healthy life balance so well! I will come back and reread this often.

    Reply
  3. Liaa

    I love this post! I can actually connect with what you are saying. I also wake up early even on Sundays, like you I am a morning person, and I like to do things ahead so that I have time to spare, doing just anything I like. What excercise do you do?

    Reply
  4. Emme

    I love this! I call mine ‘Get-Shit-Done Sunday’ and although it’s not every week, it always makes me feel amazing to look at a completed list!

    Reply

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