05/03/2026
For a long time, I had a rhythm I respected. Honestly, I held it as sacred.
On Sundays, I stopped working in the late morning, early afternoon. Not at night when I was already exhausted. I shut it down early enough to actually feel the shift. I slowed down, spent time with family and friends, got into bed early, turned on my old-time radio program, and I usually fell asleep before Dragnet or Gunsmoke if I was really tired!
But of late, that rhythm is gone!
Lately, with the economic situation, everything more expensive, work being scare, I’ve been doing what a lot of you are probably doing. Working through Sunday. Working late into the night most nights. Eating at odd times. Trying to stay ahead of everything that feels like it’s coming at once. And then still getting up early the next day.
The result is predictable. Less sleep. More fatigue. More irritability. Less patience. More stress and anxiety.
So I’m bringing Self-Care Sunday back!
Not because it’s convenient but because it works.
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What I Notice When I Don’t Do It
When I’m tired, everything costs more.
I get frustrated faster. My tolerance drops. Small things feel bigger.
It takes more effort to focus, more effort to reset, more effort to not carry stress from one moment into the next.
That’s not about discipline. That’s about depletion.
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More Good Days, Together
This year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Month is More Good Days, Together.
The “together” part matters.
Part of what made those Sundays meaningful wasn’t just the rest. It was the connection. Time with people I care about. Reaching out.
Not being in my own head handling everything alone.
Even a quick check-in matters. A call. A message. Sitting with someone. We need that kind of connection to stay steady.
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The Reality We’re Operating In
A lot of us are under real pressure right now.
Economic stress. Political tension. A sense, at times, of being under siege.
When it feels like that, the instinct is to push harder. Stay on. Keep going.
But if you’re in this for the long haul, pushing without recovery doesn’t hold up. It leaves you more reactive, more depleted, and less effective over time.
Rest is not stepping away from the fight. It’s what prepares you for it.
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What I’m Doing in May
I’m bringing back Self-Care Sunday.
Not as an ideal. As a practice.
For you, it doesn’t have to be Sunday. But it does need to be something you actually protect.
A day. A half day. Even a few consistent blocks of time.
Step away from work. Let your system settle. Spend time with people who matter. Or reach out if you haven’t in a while.
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Bottom Line
You don’t get more good days by pushing through every single one.
You get more good days by building in space to reset and by staying connected while you do it.
Your Turn
Do you already have a self-care day or rhythm that you protect?
If you do, what does it look like?
If you don’t, what are you going to start doing—this week—to give yourself that reset and protect your mental health?
Drop it in the comments.
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