soul sundays

art, books, baking, and adventure to reclaim my sundays

Happy Sunday!

Sundays have a certain vibe about them that, for the longest time, I haven’t enjoyed. Most people have a relaxing sunday or slow sunday but for me, I dread Sunday. I immediately think of the phrase sunday scaries as it means tomorrow is the start of a new week and work begins again. I usually spend my entire day wishing it would slow down so I don’t have to return to my responsibilities the next day. I have trouble trying to sleep on Sunday nights, and I usually have nightmares about being late to work when I wake up on Monday. So, am I really enjoying one of the days of the week meant to be restful, or am I actually taking that day away from myself because all I think about is what comes next? I feel like Sundays are wasted with that mentality. I want to spend my Sundays doing things that fill my cup rather than worrying how I have to fill everyone else’s in the following days to come. This year, I want to rededicate Sundays back to myself.

When creating new goals for this year, I looked back on the year of 2025 and thought to myself how I could do better. I felt like I didn’t spend much time or dedicate any time doing things I love like reading or being creative. I put it on the back burner when I actually did have the free time, and most days, I never got around to it. I felt like I was letting myself down by not investing time into myself when it came to creativity. I started to regret having a whole year with minimal effort to prioritize things that feed my soul.

For 2026, I created a section of goals called soul sundays where I dedicate one thing to do every Sunday that feeds my soul. I no longer want to dread Sundays and waste them by overthinking how I’m not living my life enough before Monday. I want to be excited for Sundays and to have plans to look forward to that week. I want to be creative, learn to slow down, and live on Sundays. Every Sunday of the month, I have one activity planned. Here is my schedule for each Sunday in 2026:

My Soul Sunday Schedule

First Sunday - Read Three Chapters

I absolutely love to read. I’ve been reading since I was little. It keeps me inspired for writing and helps me to escape from reality for a bit. One of my favorite things to do in this world is to sit in the sun and read. But lately, I have phases where I read an entire series in the span of a few weeks, and then, there are times when I don’t pick up a book for months. I plan to change that this year by reading at least three chapters on one Sunday. I don’t want to set a goal too large for myself and fall short, so I hope to complete four books this year. One book that I am excited about reading this year is the new Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. I was one of those girls who was obsessed with it back in middle school, and yes, I dressed up as Katniss one year for Halloween.

Second Sunday - Bake Something New

I am dedicating one Sunday of the week to baking. I have an entire Pinterest board full of baking recipes and I believe I have only tried one or two. I absolutely love the art of baking something that looks pretty AND tastes sweet. I think cakes and pastries are so cute and I always have to stop and snap a photo of deserts I see in bakeries. Baking takes patience—a virtue that I need to work on when it comes to doing tasks like cooking and cleaning. Plus, there’s always at least one week of the month when I have a big sweet tooth. I’d rather have a homemade dessert made with love rather than something full of artificial flavors and sweeteners.

a cake i baked for my mom’s birthday

Third Sunday - Some Form of Art

Although I do not see myself as an artist, I do enjoy doing art and I have tried different mediums over the years from watercolor, charcoal drawing, and gouache painting. I’ve slowly collected sketch books, new paints, and brushes for a long time, but I do not spend much time with them lately. I always tell myself that I do not feel inspired enough in the moment to do art. Honestly, I don’t have to be inspired to do art and I can just let my mind wander and see what ends up on the page after. Also, painting zentangles is another easy way to practice mindfulness through art; it doesn’t always have to be something complex. So, one Sunday of the month will be dedicated to doing some form of art.

Fourth Sunday - One Adventure Book Page

During my travels, I have collected an endless amount of tickets, receipts, and other small bits that end up in my bag as I move from place to place. I have an entire folder full of stuff and I decided that I would put them to use by creating an adventure book/junk journal. I take inspiration from the movie Up because I think that movie is so cute and both me and my husband love it. In my opinion, an adventure book is the perfect way to document our life and travel. The task can be a bit daunting as this would be my first time scrapbooking and the pile of things I have to include is quite big. I think taking this in small bits with dedicated times to complete at least one page will help keep me stay consistent. So completing one page of my adventure book on one Sunday a month will help me to achieve that goal.

I am so excited for this new Sunday schedule of mine. Today is the first Sunday of the year and I am already looking forward to getting out of bed and getting started on my soul sunday.

With love,

L.L.