Self-Love Sundays: Rituals for the Soul

Because sometimes the most revolutionary thing you can do is slow down and choose yourself

Let’s just be real for a sec—life gets loud. Between deadlines, laundry piles, never-ending group chats, and the general noise of “do more, be more,” it’s easy to forget how to just be with yourself.

That’s why I started doing something small but sacred every week: Self-Love Sundays.

It’s not a Pinterest-perfect spa day (though bubble baths are welcome). It’s a few intentional hours—or even just minutes—devoted to checking in, coming home to yourself, and tending to the parts of you that often get drowned out in the chaos.

So whether you’re burned out, blooming, or somewhere in between, here are some soulful, grounding, and totally doable rituals to make Sundays feel like a deep exhale.

🌙 1. Start with a Slow, Screen-Free Morning

Let’s not underestimate the magic of a morning where no one’s asking anything from you.

On Self-Love Sundays, I challenge myself to stay off my phone for the first hour. No scrolling. No checking emails. Just existing.

Instead, I do one or more of these:

• Open the windows and let fresh air in
• Sip tea or coffee while journaling
• Stretch in bed for a few extra minutes
• Put on a soft playlist that makes me feel calm and grounded

✨ Hack: Create a “morning basket” with your journal, favorite book, incense, and a cozy blanket. When you wake up, reach for that instead of your phone. It’s like a gentle cue for your nervous system: we’re starting slow today.

🛁 2. Create a Ritual Bath or Shower

Self-love doesn’t always have to look like affirmations and inner child healing (though we love both). Sometimes, it looks like taking the world’s longest, steamiest shower with your favorite body scrub and singing sad girl songs at full volume.

On Sundays, I treat bathing like an emotional rinse.

If I’m overwhelmed: I visualize the water washing off the mental load.
If I’m tired: I add lavender oil and breathe deep.
If I’m feeling blah: I exfoliate and moisturize like I’m the main character in a French film.

✨ Bonus tip: Use a body oil or lotion that smells like joy. As you rub it in, whisper something kind to yourself. Even if it’s just, “You made it through the week. I’m proud of you.”

📓 3. Journal Like You’re Writing to a Friend

Self-love doesn’t always feel natural—especially if you’re used to self-criticism or people-pleasing. That’s why I love journaling as if I’m talking to someone I care about deeply.

Some of my go-to Sunday prompts:

• What do I need to hear today?
• What did I carry this week that’s not mine?
• What version of me do I want to step into next week?
• Where did I feel most like myself this week?
• If I loved myself fully, what would I give myself today?

No pressure to be poetic. Just be honest. Even a scribbled half-page can shift your entire energy.

🕯️ 4. Light a Candle & Set the Mood

Ambiance matters. Even if your space is small or messy, you can create a corner that feels intentional and soothing.

Here’s what I love on Self-Love Sundays:

• A candle with grounding notes (think amber, sandalwood, or vanilla)
• Lo-fi music or acoustic playlists
• A cozy robe or oversized sweater
• A hot drink in a real mug (not a travel cup)

You’re not trying to impress anyone. You’re simply inviting yourself to be fully present in your own energy.

🌿 5. Make Something—Even if It’s Imperfect

There’s something deeply healing about creating with your hands. It reminds you that you’re more than your productivity or to-do list.

So I carve out time to make something on Sundays. A meal. A mood board. A voice memo. A playlist. A messy painting. A flower arrangement from the grocery store bouquet I bought myself.

The goal isn’t to make it “good.” It’s to make it mine.

✨ Try this: Make a Sunday playlist filled with songs that make you feel safe, soft, or wildly alive. Let it be your sonic sanctuary for the week ahead.

☁️ 6. Choose a “Self-Love Anchor” for the Week Ahead

One of my favorite Sunday rituals is choosing an anchor word or intention for the week.

It’s a soft form of planning—not based on hustle or productivity, but based on how I want to feel.

Examples:

• Ease (when I’m overstretched)
• Devotion (when I need more consistency with self-care)
• Joy (when I’ve been too serious lately)
• Boundaries (when I feel a people-pleasing spiral coming on)

I write it on a sticky note or put it in my phone lock screen. It becomes my gentle guide when life starts getting noisy again.

✨ 7. Romanticize Something Mundane

Here’s a little hack I swear by: take something boring and make it beautiful. That’s a form of self-love, too.

Examples:

• Fold laundry while listening to a podcast that nourishes your soul
• Water your plants while playing music you’d imagine in a Parisian café
• Clean your space with your favorite candle lit
• Chop veggies while watching the sunset out your window

When you bring intention to the ordinary, you remember that you’re allowed to enjoy your life right now, not just when everything’s perfect.

💗 8. Speak to Yourself Like You Would a Lover

This one’s vulnerable—but it’s changed everything for me.

Before bed on Sundays, I try to speak to myself out loud. Not in a performative way. Just as a gentle practice.

I say things like:

• “Thank you for trying this week.”
• “You are doing better than you think.”
• “You are allowed to rest.”
• “I love who you’re becoming.”

It feels awkward at first. But eventually? It starts to sink in.

You don’t have to wait for someone else to speak love over your life. You can be that voice for yourself.

🌹 9. Let the Day End Softly

There’s no gold star for squeezing in one more thing. On Self-Love Sundays, I let the evening wind down slowly. No pressure. No rush.

Sometimes that looks like:

• Watching a comfort show I’ve seen 10 times
• Making tea and reading in bed
• Journaling with my legs up the wall
• Crawling into bed early with my favorite playlist playing low

Your soft, slow ending is just as sacred as your hustle. And choosing rest on a Sunday? That’s an act of quiet rebellion in a world that profits from your burnout.

Final Thoughts: Self-Love Isn’t a Luxury—It’s a Homecoming

I know life gets messy. You won’t always have time for every ritual. You might skip a week. You might forget what you wrote in your journal or scroll for too long before lighting the candle.

That’s okay.

Self-love isn’t about doing it perfectly. It’s about returning to yourself over and over again—especially when life feels loud and you’re tempted to abandon yourself.

Self-Love Sundays are your sacred pause. Your space to check in, recalibrate, and remind yourself: You are worthy of softness. You are worthy of slowness. You are worthy of love, even from yourself.

So take the long shower. Play the soft music. Make the weird playlist. Eat pancakes in bed. Write the messy journal entry. Whisper kind things to the mirror. Choose you.

Because you’re the one you’ll live with forever.

And you? You’re already enough.