I don’t know about you ladies but, Sunday is a sacred day for me; I call it self-care Sunday. There was a time I was unable to see it the way I do now, which is a for the most part a laid-back day dedicated to ME . I remember the days I could not even get a whiff of the coffee; that was when the kids were younger. Thank goodness the ’40s are here. Kids or any other obligations should not preclude any woman from having these sacred Sundays. There is always a way once the intent is there. It’s called being mindful and then acting on “the mindfulness”.

So now, let’s share notes on what SMART & SUCCESSFUL Women do on Sundays. It is the beginning of my week, and what better way to start than with five ideas that have now become second nature.

Reflect – We must give ourselves the opportunity upon waking to think about the previous days. I stretch and luxuriate and then quiet down and allow the thoughts to come to me. I believe a benefit of the pandemic is allowing us to not be so much on the go—am I the only one in this? Reflection is needed, as it highlights the highs and lows.

We can then appreciate and celebrate the highs then “fix” the lows. For example, as I laid in bed this morning, I realized I harbored resentment towards an individual that I truly admire. I remembered a passage of scripture found in James 5:16 that reads, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed… ” 

I needed and wanted to heal from the situation, so I called in my husband, confessed the sin, and then decided to feel that situation in love.

Prepare for the week ahead – I recently committed to eating better. Something I should have been doing and was doing and am now doing. But you know that bag of chips that you must have? For me, it’s Tostitos. I had to say to my husband no more, but this is me straying a bit. So here’s the thing, I know myself, I need to exercise discipline and have a system that will keep me on track. So on Sunday evenings, I carve out time to plan my weekly meals so I stay on track with my eat better goal. It reduces the stress of wondering at the last minute what to prepare—and that is stressful! Also, my goal planning and tracking session is a must. Please understand this does not take up a lot of time, but it sure helps to have a schedule to follow and frees me up to experience a great week.

Relax – What does this look like? For me, it is playing my favorite tracks – I love me some Jonathan Reynolds or Kem, Mali Music, Kari Jobe to name a few. I love love, love music that speaks to me and my spirit. Did you know listening to the right music improves your mood and your awareness of others and yourself? Music creates the needed balance after a hectic week (I believe most women will identify). How do you relax? Is it reading, sipping your favorite wine, is it watching a movie, or sleeping? Whatever it is, we must all ensure there is time for relaxation, you deserve it!

Spend time with family or friends – we know the saying no man is an island and neither is a woman. So it is important to reach out to family or friends to play a bit of catch up. You may be delighted to hear about a relative’s new love interest or a recent escapade or discuss perspectives on the latest news item. This interaction creates balance and good feelings through laughter and perhaps shared reminiscing; can you picture this? How does it make you feel? If you are a woman on the go, then you will reap the most benefit here.

Get to bed on time – you know what they say about getting our beauty sleep— it was not a lie. Our largest organ not only needs water to replenish it, but our body also needs rest through sleep. The recommended sleep time on average is 8 hours. Want you and your skin to be the best, then ensure you get the right amount of sleep. Additionally, getting enough sleep allows optimal functioning—you know this, half of the time foul moods occur because of inadequate rest. So do yourself a favor and get to sleep on time.

“Successful people aren’t born that way. They become successful by establishing the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don’t like to do.” ―William Makepeace Thackeray

So there you have it, what are your thoughts? Do you have some other habits to add? Please post them below in our comments section; we want to hear from you.

And in closing…

Be The SMART Woman, and You Will Find Success.