{"id":103469,"date":"2025-10-13T14:02:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T13:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zine.modalova.com\/zine\/?p=103469"},"modified":"2025-10-13T14:02:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T13:02:18","slug":"art-of-slow-sundays-how-relearn-doing-nothing-without-guilt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/art-of-slow-sundays-how-relearn-doing-nothing-without-guilt\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Slow Sundays: How to Relearn Doing Nothing (Without Guilt)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The art of the nap, the art of meditation\u2026 what if doing nothing<\/em> or almost nothing was one of the keys to preserving our mental health?<\/strong> And I see you coming: no, we’re not talking about “doing nothing” while scrolling on your phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The art of the slow Sunday is a way to reclaim the right to take a break. Taking a day in the week, Sunday, of course, to rest your mind, relax your body, and indulge in activities that aren\u2019t necessarily productive but are deeply soothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s focus on this art of the slow Sunday, a simple yet precious ritual that you could quickly adopt\u2026 as an essential interlude to regain your balance and, who knows, spark new ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accepting to do nothing productive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The slow Sunday is not a catch-up day for everything you didn\u2019t have time to do during the week. It\u2019s a day of true rest. And it\u2019s no coincidence that, in the past, it was dedicated to religious rituals: on Sundays, we slow down.<\/strong> We refocus, share a meal, take a walk, breathe a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s admit it: the idea of snuggling in a plush bed with a book and a cup of coffee for thirty minutes is dreamy\u2026 but it\u2019s not that simple. The organization of the upcoming week, notifications on our phones, or that little inner voice reminding us of our \u201cto-do list\u201d often spoils our desire for a slow Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then, there\u2019s the number one enemy of Sunday rest: guilt. In our Western societies, being \u201coverwhelmed\u201d or \u201cunderwater\u201d is still valued, even though mindsets are evolving, particularly due to a growing awareness of the importance of mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning to not be productive is also learning to not feel guilty.<\/strong> Yes, watching Love is Blind<\/em> on a Sunday afternoon at 4 PM with a plate of crab sticks and cheese and a latte is okay!! Try it, you\u2019ll see, it feels good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Slow
\u00a9 Jovan Vasiljevi\u0107 \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Slow
\u00a9 Maddi Bazzocco \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Creating a slow Sunday ritual<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the past, there was religion, the Sunday mass for Catholics or other spiritual rituals, often followed by a big family meal. You know, the kind that lasts until 4 PM, with the slightly annoying uncle and the grandfather who almost falls asleep at the table? These Sunday meals remain important for some of the population, but as families today often live further apart, this ritual tends to fade. So, even if you live in another city or abroad, nothing prevents you from creating your own ritual, whether alone or surrounded!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you can decide that your slow Sunday will be reserved for brunch and flea markets in a neighborhood you love. If you\u2019re alone, a small caf\u00e9 on the terrace with a book is also perfect. The essential thing is to take time for yourself, whether at home or outside, and to slow down this crazy race against time to notice the little details of everyday life, and why not, engage with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another ritual idea: start reading a new book in the morning<\/strong>, accompanied by breakfast in bed or simply a coffee before starting the day. You can then incorporate other practices like yoga, a morning walk, or a journaling session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n
\"\"
\u00a9 Jovan Vasiljevi\u0107 \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
\u00a9 M\u00e1rcio Azevedo \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rest as skincare and mental care<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Taking time for yourself obviously benefits your morale, but it also benefits your skin and body. I\u2019m not telling you anything new, everything is connected, and to have good morale, it\u2019s necessary to feel good in your skin. How can taking time for yourself improve your skin?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because you\u2019re well-hydrated<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In general, when we relax at home, we tend to drink more<\/strong>: tea, lattes, matcha if you follow the trends, or just water. The result: your skin is hydrated and more beautiful. It makes sense, but yet, we don\u2019t drink enough when we\u2019re too busy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"slow
\u00a9 Laura Jaeger\u00a0\/\u00a0Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"slow
\u00a9 Carl Barcelo\u00a0\/\u00a0Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Because you breathe better<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Breathing is the number one natural tool to combat stress.<\/strong> When we\u2019re running around, of course, we breathe poorly, but when we settle down and breathe consciously, a few inhales through the nose and a few exhales through the mouth are enough to relax us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because you take time to cook for yourself<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t need to be a chef to create a pretty brunch plate<\/a> with some cheese, fresh veggies with hummus or tzatziki, for example, and toasted bread. And while you\u2019re at it, enjoy eating mindfully: take the time to savor, chew well, and look at the food on your plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Featured image: \u00a9Anthony Tran \/ Unsplash<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The art of the nap, the art of meditation\u2026 what if doing nothing or almost nothing was one of the keys to preserving our mental health? And I see you coming: no, we’re not talking about “doing nothing” while scrolling […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":103390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"eltdf_count_post_views_meta":229,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[818],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103469\/revisions"}],"wpml-translations":[{"id":103460,"lang":"en","href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103460"},{"id":103389,"lang":"fr","href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103389"},{"id":103487,"lang":"de","href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103487"},{"id":103496,"lang":"it","href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103496"},{"id":103478,"lang":"es","href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103478"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.modalova.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}