How a Rest Routine Helps Avoid the Sunday Scaries

by with No Comment Dating Tips, Guide and Advice


Finish homework. Complete household chores. Run errands. Catch up on work from the office. For some, Sunday is just another day to get things done and a jump start for the work week.

And the research backs this up. In fact, a recent LinkedIn survey found that nearly 75% of the American workforce experience the “Sunday scaries” and are filled with dread and anxiety about the week ahead. But you don’t have to be afraid or stressed on Sundays when you can swap your bajillion weekend responsibilities for a Sunday reset routine.

“A Sunday reset routine is a designated period on Sunday dedicated to preparing for the upcoming week,” explains Ashish Pandya, well-being master coach and founder of Copperwell. “It involves activities like organizing, planning, and self-care to ensure a smooth transition from the weekend. This practice is essential for reducing stress, boosting productivity, and enhancing overall well-being by providing a structured and intentional start to the week.”

Getting some well-needed R&R is just what the doctor ordered. Take a look below at how you can create your very own reset routine, plus learn about all the benefits of resting and preparing for the week ahead.

Why A Sunday Reset Matters

You might think that a Sunday reset routine is about planning for the upcoming week, but it’s much more than that. Rather, it’s about stepping away from the everyday flurry of appointments, meetings, text messages, and calls vying for your attention. You’re shifting your focus to something that reinvigorates you.

“I see a Sunday routine more as an emotional boundary to prevent burnout rather than just a way to prep for Monday,” says Cheryl Groskopf, LMFT, LPCC, the owner of Evolution to Healing Psychotherapy. “By taking this time, you’re saying, ‘I matter, and my well-being comes first.’ It’s a powerful way to reclaim your time and make sure you start your week on YOUR terms.”

Nadia Murdock, a mindset and movement coach at Garage Gym Reviews, says she began focusing on herself and her self-care at a young age, which has become a habit that contributes to her mental health and wellness.

“[Sunday] is the day that I pour into myself,” she says. “Even as a kid, I did my own manicures and facials. Even as my life changes over the years, I try to stay true to the idea of slowing down on Sundays and finding ways to empower myself for the week ahead.”

Benefits of Creating a Sunday Reset

Prioritizing yourself is just one of several benefits of a Sunday reset routine. Some others are:

  • You feel more organized and in control of your time throughout the week. By preparing in advance, you have a plan of action to follow, which helps diminish decision fatigue and eliminate chaos and anxiety.
  • No! More! Stress! “A Sunday reset routine can help ease the activity of the amygdala (the part of your brain responsible for stress and fear responses),” Groskopf explains. “When you take time to relax, plan, and practice being in the moment, it signals to your amygdala that it’s safe to relax.”
  • A Sunday reset routine boosts your emotional regulation. “[It] enhances well-being and emotional balance through self-care activities and reflection,” Pandya says. “This routine sets a positive tone for the week, promoting a balanced lifestyle and ensuring you’re prepared for whatever comes your way.”
  • Physically, it also benefits your central nervous system. “By intentionally slowing down and doing activities like deep breathing, light stretching, or even a nice walk, you help activate your parasympathetic nervous system (the part of your body that promotes rest and relaxation),” explains Groskopf.
  • Having a consistent routine gives you time to regroup and refocus. Facing the week ahead calmly puts you in the right frame of mind.

Components of a Sunday Reset Routine

While calm and rejuvenation is the goal, you have to work for it! Consider the tasks that can pile up throughout the week or the little stressors that can become a big deal. Create a plan to address them as a part of your reset routine.

Laundry and Cleaning

“A Sunday reset routine should include a lot of self-compassion and grace,” Groskopf says. “Focus on what you can achieve rather than stressing about perfection. Start by sorting your laundry and cleaning one room at a time and know that it’s okay if you don’t finish everything.”

Prioritize what needs to be done. Clean clothes for school or work. An uncluttered area in your living space—a place that allows you to rest and think. Things that are essential for your well-being.

Meal Planning and Preparation

Staring at the open refrigerator wondering what to eat for dinner is stressful! Planning on Sundays will keep you from feeling stressed about cooking. Meal plan on Sunday and freeze items that can quickly be heated up during the week. Incorporate bagged salads and other healthy grab-and-go items you can whip up without much effort. The goal is to have food that’s good and good for you, that’s also available and easily accessible.

Self-Care

This is where the rest and rejuvenation part comes in. Add activities to your Sunday schedule that leave you feeling refreshed and calm. Read that book you’ve been trying to finish for weeks. Take a walk in nature. Enjoy some time at the gym. Recharge by taking care of you.

Setting Goals

Goals give you a target to work toward. While you want to be diligent about putting in the effort to achieve your goals, you don’t want to stress about them every Sunday. “You can start to set goals and plan for the week ahead but remember it’s fine if things don’t go exactly as planned,” Groskopf notes. “The goal of a Sunday reset routine is to create a supportive and nurturing environment to start your week without beating yourself up if you don’t complete every task.”

Reminder

You can incorporate all of these components into creating your routine based on your preferences. So, what does that look like? It’s turning off your phone and computer to give yourself a break from screens, so you can think clearly and uninterrupted. It looks like allowing “no” to be a complete sentence and being firm with your boundaries. And it looks like adding some absolutes into your Sunday reset routine that bring you pleasure and joy.

Overcoming Challenges to Your Routine

Consistency is important and a key component of creating a routine. Give yourself time to find what works for you. Becoming impatient or assuming it’s not working because you haven’t given yourself time can be discouraging. Be willing to add flexibility when needed.

Try This!

Get an accountability partner. This can be as simple as talking to a friend about their Sunday reset routine and encouraging each other to honor the commitments you’ve made.

You can also overcome challenges by shifting your focus. Instead of looking at what you haven’t done, be grateful for what you have accomplished. Be encouraged by your willingness to try something new. Be excited about your progress on your journey.

“A well-crafted Sunday Reset Routine should bring clarity to our minds, purity to our hearts, and sincerity to our actions,” Pandya adds. “This holistic approach allows us to truly give our best in the coming week.”


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Everything You Need to Know About Cuddle Therapy

by with No Comment Dating Tips, Guide and Advice


Stressed AF over work? Relationship in disarray? Finances are out of whack? I know just the thing to relax and chill you out: a hug.

I know what you’re thinking: what is she talking about? Hugs don’t solve problems. And that’s slightly true. A hug can’t repair a fractured relationship or a dwindling savings account but it can help you feel better. Don’t just take my word for it; there’s scientific backing to show that human touch can improve your physical and mental well-being.

These days, we don’t get hugs as frequently as we’d like (or need!). The average millennial in our digital age is grappling with an epidemic of loneliness that worsened during the COVID lockdown and never quite eased up long after restrictions were lifted. Think about it: most of our social interactions consist of long video calls and unending text chains rather than any physical time spent together.

But what if you could book an appointment for a long, comforting hug—the type you’d get from an S.O. or best friend—as part of your self-care routine? With professional cuddling and cuddle therapy, you get this and more.

Ahead, learn more about cuddle therapy, its therapeutic benefits, and what you can expect from a typical session.

What Is Cuddle Therapy?

Cuddle therapy, or touch therapy, is a professional service that provides people with a safe space to enjoy non-sexual physical touch.  

Cuddle Therapy

Professional cuddling offers precisely what it implies—an opportunity for people to get their regular intake of human touch. It’s a safe, consensual place where you can experience the warmth and reassurance of a warm hug for as long as you need. Professional cuddling is a therapy proven to relieve stress and anxiety while boosting your mood and self-esteem. 

In a cuddle therapy session, a trained professional cuddler (yes, it’s a real job!) offers different forms of physical contact, from holding to hugging and hand-holding. During the session, as you hug and hold your cuddler, your body releases oxytocin—the “bonding hormone” linked to your emotions and well-being.

For many dealing with touch deprivation, isolation, attachment issues, or simply a lack of affection in their life, these cuddling encounters can be incredibly healing. The cuddlers create a safe, consenting space for clients to experience human warmth and bonding in a non-sexual way, says Rychel Johnson, MS, LCPC, a mental health expert and licensed clinical professional counselor.

How Does It Work?

Before a session, clear boundaries are established and the professional cuddler ensures mutual consent, so you both feel comfortable throughout the session. During your first consultation, you can detail your needs and preferences and request various cuddling positions and methods.

Want your cuddler to sit beside you and only hold your hands? You can do that. Desire more physical contact and need to be held while lying down? That’s an option too. Whatever affection needs you have, a professional cuddler certainly can provide.

What Are the Benefits of Professional Cuddling?

Cuddle therapy offers as many benefits for your physical and mental health as traditional therapy. Touch is a powerful tool to release negative emotions held within the body, says Xandria Schaeffer, a cuddle therapist in Philadelphia. The goal for each session is to help you walk away feeling a little bit lighter than when you came in.

​Here is how it can support your physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

Benefits to Your Physical Health

Remember oxytocin? That chemical messenger your body needs to release stress and anxiety? Yeah, physical touch (like cuddle therapy) triggers it. When oxytocin courses through your body, your cortisol—the hormone responsible for physical symptoms of stress like weight gain and fatigue—levels drop.

Not only does oxytocin keep you calm, but it’s also soothing. The more oxytocin in your body, the better your body feels. Experiencing chronic pain? Oxytocin acts as a natural pain relief. Can’t sleep throughout the night? The happy hormone will help you get your zzzs.

Getting your regular dose of cuddles and affection is key to maintaining and increasing the oxytocin in your body. And the more oxytocin you have, the better your physical health will be.

Benefits to Your Emotional Well-Being

Being held can do wonders for your emotional well-being. You just feel more content, happier, comforted, and relaxed after getting some cuddles in. Plus, if you’ve just gone through a significant trauma or are grieving a loss, the emotional security a cuddle session provides can be super healing. 

Regular cuddling sessions can also help if you’ve been struggling with feelings of loneliness and isolation. You feel more connected and cared for, which boosts your self-esteem and self-worth. Something that can ultimately encourage you to go into the world and form more human connections.

Benefits to Your Mental Health

Cuddle therapy may look a lot different than traditional talk therapy, but it’s proven to be an effective form of treatment for mental health conditions. It eases many troubling symptoms of anxiety and depression, and regular sessions can also improve your social skills (thus making forming and maintaining healthy relationships easier).

Nurturing touch can, for some, alleviate depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms while reinforcing a sense of self-worth and security. For older people, disabled, or simply those starved of platonic intimacy, it provides profound comfort, says Johnson.

Over time, positive touch experiences can help you become more emotionally resilient, making it easier to handle challenges and setbacks.

According to Taylor Wilson, a mental health consultant and founder of Active Recovery Companion, people who engage in cuddle therapy report feeling a renewed sense of self-worth and reduced anxiety after just a few sessions. The tangible benefits of professional cuddling go beyond mere physical touch—it’s a significant form of emotional and mental health support.

Who Is Professional Cuddling For?

Professional cuddling can be for anyone who wants to receive a platonic nurturing touch in a safe, controlled environment, says Xandria. It’s especially helpful for people whose love language is physical touch.

Even if you’re wary of physical touch, especially from strangers, professional cuddling can slowly ease you into feeling comfortable. You can go at your own pace and gradually overcome your fear of physical touch.

  • If you have chronic stress or anxiety, professional cuddling can be a stress reliever. During a session, you get to disconnect and leave your worries at the door. As you relax into your cuddler’s embrace, your stress hormones dive, making you feel calm and at ease.
  • Those struggling with loneliness. These days, loneliness feels like an epidemic, and more people report feeling isolated even when surrounded by loved ones. There’s a rising need for meaningful, physical interactions outside of romantic or sexual settings. And that’s where professional cuddling comes in—it provides folks with a safe space to feel connected and less alone.
  • Suffer from social anxiety? Those who struggle with social anxiety or find it hard to form personal connections can gain a lot from professional cuddling. The safe and structured environment of a cuddling session allows them to experience positive, non-sexual touch without the pressures of keeping up with social interactions. 
  • Cuddle therapy is also very appealing to people who are on the asexual spectrum and would like access to meaningful touch without the pressure of a sexual or romantic relationship. Similar to neurodivergent people, older and disabled individuals tend to be lonelier than the general population and can benefit from cuddle therapy, Xandria adds.

Professional cuddling is right for anyone who enjoys the comfort of physical touch but may not have access to it regularly. That can be people who live alone or who have busy lifestyles. Really, professional cuddling transcends any single demographic—the clientele ranges from trauma survivors to those on the autism spectrum to people hoping to build confidence and attachment skills, says Johnson. The unifying thread is a desire for safe, caring human connection.

What Does It Take to Become a Professional Cuddler?

No mandatory training or certification is required to become a professional cuddler. But, it’s advisable to go through some training. Licensed clinical social worker Joshua Collins recommends specialized training programs that cover topics like consent, boundaries, communication, and the ethics of touch before becoming a professional cuddler. Though not legally required, having these certifications helps you understand and manage the emotional and physical needs of your clients.

Being Empathetic, Kind, and Understanding

I highly recommend that anyone who wishes to become a cuddle therapist get cuddle-specific training before offering sessions to clients. Xandria says some important traits of a professional cuddler include high empathy, a willingness to learn, strong boundaries, good listening skills, and business acumen (as most cuddle therapists are self-employed).

A good professional cuddler empathizes with their clients and understands why they want to connect physically. Being naturally compassionate and genuinely wanting to help others is a great start. Effective communication is another. You must be clear when discussing boundaries, understanding the client’s needs, and providing reassurance throughout the session. Clear, open, and respectful communication ensures the cuddler and the client feel comfortable and safe.

A Professional Attitude

Maintaining professionalism is also vital with professional cuddling. Your clients are placing many of their emotional needs on you, and you need to be punctual, reliable, and extra careful when sticking to agreed-upon boundaries. Cuddling might seem passive, but it can be physically demanding. Professional cuddlers must be comfortable with prolonged physical contact and have the stamina to maintain different cuddling positions for extended periods. They should also be attuned to body language and nonverbal cues to adjust positions and ensure their clients’ comfort.

A significant part of being a professional cuddler is ensuring that the space for the session is safe and welcoming. You need to set up a comfortable space, whether it’s in a dedicated studio, the client’s home, or another suitable location. The space should be clean, private, and conducive to relaxation.

While cuddling may seem unorthodox, its therapeutic intentions align with so many psychological principles around attachment, reducing loneliness, developing self/other awareness, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions


  • Is professional cuddling romantic or sexual?

    No, professional cuddling is strictly a non-sexual service. Professional cuddlers maintain clear boundaries to ensure sessions are platonic and respectful. 


  • How are boundaries maintained during a session?

    Before the session begins, both the cuddler and the client discuss their comfort levels, preferences, and any specific boundaries. This open communication ensures both parties feel safe and respected. 


  • What can I expect during a cuddling session?

    The session may include various cuddling positions such as spooning, hand-holding, or simply sitting together while maintaining physical contact. 


  • How do I find a reputable professional cuddler?

    Finding a reputable professional cuddler involves doing some research. Look for professionals who have undergone training and certification from recognized organizations. Many professional cuddlers have online profiles or websites, where you can learn more about their approach and qualifications.


  • Is cuddle therapy is only for the lonely or socially isolated?

    While professional cuddling can significantly benefit those who feel lonely or isolated, it is not limited to these individuals. Johnson says people from all backgrounds, including those with supportive social networks, can benefit from the therapeutic effects of touch and human connection.


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