Self Care Sunday

Something I incorporated into my week towards the end of last year was 'Self Care Sunday.' My job can bring an array of stresses on an hourly basis, and honestly most days it leaves me too exhausted to put much effort into, well, anything in the evening that isn't absolutely necessary, but we're working on that - we're really working on that. I never really do anything on Sunday, but the day seems to fly by and before you know it you're off to bed ready to face another week, so I thought it was important to take some proper time, and put some effort into the creature I call... me. It's my way of wrapping up the week, calming myself down a little for the new week ahead, and most of the time, it actually worked and was pure, pure bliss.

 It was a fairly simple affair - it would start off softly with me watching Doctor Who with my mum, then making some tea and then lunch for the next day with Strictly in the background. I would then have a nice shower - you know the shower that isn't just for purpose and you can actually spare a few extra minutes, play some music, and pretend you're performing at Wembley Arena, without fear of missing a bus, being late and not being able to do your hair properly because it's still wet. I'd also shave. Past Rob would then have left me nice pyjamas out on the bed to put on, I'd throw on a face mask and watch a film or binge a show, before treating myself to a ~stunning~ hot chocolate made from such combinations as below.

One week, to switch things up a bit, I had quite a lot of holiday left at work, so I took a Monday off and booked myself into a cheap local Travelodge and 'escaped the world' for a Sunday evening, complete with cooked breakfast the next morning. I did most of the same thing, but it felt new and fresh, and was a nice change to what was becoming a routine. As much as I love a routine, sometimes it's not the best when your heads a bit tangled like mine, and you need to keep it on its toes before it becomes almost ~immune~ to help.

Now, as we go in to 2019, I'm switching up my routine and turning Self Care Sunday into something a little more... interesting. There's still the facemask, and the hot chocolate to round off the week, but I wanted to be a bit more creative and with me trying to watch more films generally, it felt less of a treat. It's also an excuse for me to pick up old hobbies I seemed to leave behind in 2016/2017, like baking.

I've really thrown myself back into baking, as you can see from the treats above, and have set myself a mission to find a bake that is 'my bake.' You know how some people have those bakes or dishes that they're known for - I kind of want that. Is that a bit sad? Probably. Anyway, I've been trying cookie combinations the last couple of weeks, including an absolutely stunning hot cross bun inspired cookie (at the bottom right of the pic above) which I'm hoping is not just a fluke, and I can replicate very soon.

This week has been a bit of a mixed bag so far - I had a very morning/lunchtime so this afternoon I've worked on some background blog stuff, I've researched recipes for meals next week, I've booked myself into the Luxe Odeon near my work to watch a film this week, made a start on my ultimate 00s playlist, as well as doing a bit of window shopping for a couple of much needed treats tomorrow. I also had a bit of a down day yesterday and made myself a Katsu curry dish which went down v v well. I've been productive, mostly, and next week, I plan to use the scrapbook I bought ages ago to get a bit crafty, and the week after that, I'll probably do some more baking.

I'll be evolving this over the weeks to bring in new activities and hobbies, and I'm happy to have turned Sunday from a bit of a non-day, to a day I really look forward to. As part of a few changes I've made to my routine over the past few months, it's definitely done wonders, and I've found it's had a bit of a knock on effect to the evenings, where even now I'm taking time to properly rest. Do you implement this kind of self-care into your life? If so, feel free to let me know how - I'd love to find new things to try.