How to Craft the Perfect Sunday Reset

By: Rachael Doyle

After a fun and eventful weekend, you may find yourself waking up on Sunday morning feeling terrible- not to mention the hit of overwhelming anxiety that comes when anticipating the upcoming week. Trust me, for me this is a weekly occurrence. You probably wake up and sit in your bed weighing your options… 

On one hand you could stay in bed all day watching TV and eating snacks with a bottle of Advil by your side, trying your best to ignore the Sunday Scaries creeping up on you all day. In theory, this is not a terrible idea. 

On the other hand, you could suck it up and head to the library (or whatever study location works for you) and stressfully grind out all of the assignments you avoided all weekend that are now all suddenly due at 11:59. This is also, in theory, not a terrible idea (but it’s just not ideal). 

In reality, the perfect Sunday routine combines both rest and relaxation with productivity. You need to acknowledge the recovery that your mind and body need from a long week completed, while also preparing yourself for the week ahead. This is usually where the problem arises. How do you balance taking care of yourself while getting what you need to do… done? Where do you even start?

To be transparent, there is no perfect answer. However, I’ve given a little insight into my Sunday reset routine to show you what works best for me. I hope to give you a little inspiration on ways you can try to improve your wellbeing before your week begins, when you may need it the most.

Take Care of Yourself

After waking up and scrolling on TikTok for 20 minutes, I usually (eventually) get up and kick off my Sunday reset by taking care of myself. I’ll hop in the shower, do my morning skincare routine, and put on a nice comfy outfit. Taking the time to care for myself just helps me refresh my mind and body and set me up for a hopeful productive day! 

Reset Your Room

Once I’m ready, the first thing I do is clean my room. The saying that a cluttered space leads to a cluttered mind is so accurate, and often I find myself feeling so much more overwhelmed with work when I’m surrounded by laundry and loose papers. Even small tasks like rearranging my desk and wiping countertops makes such a huge difference, especially since the dorm rooms are so small. Once my room is clean and organized, I feel so much better and ready to tackle the rest of my day.

Run Those Errands!

Not only is Sunday usually the busiest day for homework and assignments, but it is also when most people are due to go grocery shopping and complete those other small necessary tasks that come to mind. Personally, I love running errands, so once my room is clean, I will sit down at my (now freshly cleaned) desk and make a list of everything that I know I’ll need for the upcoming week. Whether it’s groceries, household items, or even just little things I’ve been wanting. It all gets written down. Then, I am off to Target! Going on a Target run is honestly the highlight of any day, and I genuinely look forward to this end of the weekend/beginning of the week trip! Finding joy in little things like a Target run makes Sunday reset that much more enjoyable. Not only is it fun to browse around, but it is such a productive part of my week. I also always make sure to stop at Starbucks on my way out for the perfect Sunday reset coffee!

Start the Grind

Once my errands are done and I’m back on campus it’s usually the early afternoon and the perfect time to start my work! I’ll almost always head to Isenberg and start the grind. Isenberg is especially nice to work from on Sundays, as it’s nice and quiet with light shining down from the panels in the Hub creating the perfect ambiance. I'll pull out my planner and write out my weekly schedule, noting any assignments I need to work on for that week. Using a planner is especially helpful to see everything I have coming up but also helps me prioritize and plan the week ahead. Then, I’ll get started! 

Make sure to fill your Sunday reset routine with activities that allow you to set your mind and body up for success. Maybe for you that could be going for a walk, getting in a nice workout, or making sure you have time to read. Whatever sets you up for success- do it! As someone who used to really struggle with procrastination, using a Sunday reset routine before starting my work has been such a huge help in clearing my mind and putting me in a productive headspace to get work done. It helps me compartmentalize the seemingly endless list of things I need to get done. It puts me at ease to know I am heading into a new week with my best foot forward! 

Fall with Friends in Amherst!

By Riley Bailey

At this point in the semester I’m sure you’re getting overwhelmed with work and probably can’t wait for Thanksgiving break. I can’t believe it's already so close! In the meantime, it’s important to take time to yourself and explore the many things to do around Amherst to help you destress, take a break from the schoolwork, and enjoy the fall weather. These are some of my favorites!

Atkins Farm 

Take a trip to Atkins Farm! Atkins Farm is a gateway to fall during this time of year. It feels like you are walking straight into fall. There are pumpkins, apple cider donuts, pies, and fresh food from our local farms to choose from. My friends and I like to go there for breakfast on the weekends because they have amazing egg sandwiches! I highly recommend taking a trip to Atkins to destress but also because it’s a staple Fall destination in Amherst. 

Pumpkin Carve 

There are so many local farm stands located throughout Hadley and Amherst. Grab a few of your friends, go buy pumpkins and carve them together! My friends and I did this last week and not only was it fun but it distracted us from our busy lives at school. We were also able to support a small business! 

Go Hiking 

A little bit past Atkins Farm there is a beautiful hiking trail at Bare Mountain. It’s about a two mile hike - one mile up and one mile down. It’s definitely steep but the view at the top is worth it. You can see all of UMass and almost all of Amherst at the peak. There’s so many other great hiking trails around Amherst as well. Get outside! It’s so good for your mental health and physical health plus, it can really help you decompress. I recommend going with a friend! 

Norwottuck Rail Trail 

Not far from campus there is the Norwottuck Rail Trail. It’s a very scenic trail (especially in the fall) and has entrances all around Amherst, Northampton, and Hadley. The easiest entrance for UMass students is on the corner of South Pleasant Street and Snell Street. If you have a bike, great! If not, just take a walk!

Developing a Healthy Relationship with Exercise after High School

By: Lisa Freeley

I, along with many of my peers, participated in organized sports throughout high school. I played field hockey in the fall, ice hockey in the winter, and ran track in the spring. When asked to describe myself, the first word that came to mind was “athlete”. Being an athlete played an enormous role in my identity as well as my day-to-day life. Because of this, it should come as no surprise that my first couple years of college felt a little off. My favorite form of exercise was skating, but how was I supposed to do that after high school when the ponds are only frozen for about a week during the winter, ice time is expensive, and I no longer have a community of girls to share it with? Things were different and I had to adjust. College life requires a whole new method of dividing your time. My priorities shifted onto managing my class schedule, developing a career path, and making new friends. 

My first year of college was entirely remote, so I got into the habit of going to the gym with a friend almost every morning before class. My second year, however, was spent on campus, fully indulged in college life, and waking up to lift every morning at 7AM was simply not an attainable goal. I found myself neglecting my physical health. To make matters worse, I had it ingrained in my mind that working out was only worthwhile if I lifted heavy, sweat through my clothes, and pushed myself beyond my limits. When I did decide to work out, I was so sore and exhausted that I would feel unmotivated to do anything for the next week that followed. I knew I needed to change my routine.

I recalled my high school habits, which frankly were unhealthy and draining, and felt jealous of the person that I used to be. Busy with my back-to-back schedule, I would often only have time for one meal, or I would purposefully eat just enough to scrape by. I remember reading that one banana supplied you with enough energy for 45 minutes of exercise, so my dinner before 8-10PM practice was two bananas. *This is simply not true, and you should absolutely eat a full, balanced meal before a rigorous workout!

Today, when I reflect upon those habits that I fell into during high school, I feel ashamed. Moreover, when I consider my early college self, desperate to somehow revert to that lifestyle, I feel immense sadness.

Truthfully, there is no easy way to navigate life after high school, and fitness can be an especially challenging area for those of us who transition from the structure of organized sports to being completely on your own. The reality is, I was never on my own. I now realize, there are so many others experiencing this same dilemma, and only I have the power to fix it. College is an opportunity to redefine fitness for yourself, which can be a fun and empowering journey. 

Personally, I have found that signing up for fitness classes at the rec is a manageable way to weave exercise into my busy schedule. Classes occur at the same times each week, so it’s easy to create a routine out of attending classes that you enjoy. Additionally, the instructors consistently emphasize maintaining a judgment-free space and encourage you to take breaks and modify workouts as needed. UMass also offers club sports and intramurals, which can be an exciting way to either pick up where you left off in your high school sport or try out something new. 

Of course, there are always those days when your workload begins to sort of suffocate you, and fitness gets moved to the backburner. On those days, I make a point to move my body in other ways for the purpose of getting my heart rate up and feeling good about myself. This may be as simple as walking to the furthest dining hall from your dorm. I live on the 21st floor of my building, so for me, sometimes opting to take the stairs gets the job done.

Ultimately, working out is not supposed to make you feel badly about yourself. Speak to yourself with kindness and understand that fitness looks different at varying stages of your life. By opening myself up to new forms of fitness, I discovered that rollerblading is very similar to ice skating, so when I come home from school, my friend/former teammate and I like to go down to the Cape and rollerblade the Canal Bikeway. I have grown tremendously since high school. I am a smarter and more confident person than I was in high school. To compare myself now to that person would be silly.

Take it From Me: The Reality of Toxic Socials

By: Jolie Femia

Every day, I find myself stuck on social media. A quick browse turns into a dark hole of perfect influencers, and their alluring lives. Only after do I remind myself that the viral world is curated, and ultimately not real life. A healthcare organization, Florida House conducted a random survey of men and women finding that 50% of women and 37% of men compare themselves “unfavorably” to people they see on social media. This type of survey demonstrates the toll this content exposure has on self-image. I am measuring myself against people I have never met, admiring photoshop images and comparing my life to unrealistic standards! In 2022, an EarthWeb survey showed the average internet user spends 2 hours and 30 minutes daily on social media, which I am sure we have all seen on our screen time reports once or twice. It is a harsh reality that Instagram, TikTok, Facebook…etc., can begin to dictate our relationship with our bodies, overall self-image, and even our food choices. 

I think about our parents and grandparents time, before anyone was able to keep track of hundreds of other people's lives, and honestly, I am jealous. I am caught between deleting all of my social media accounts or curating my own socials to meet the status quo. Neither extreme is the right answer. The truth is the internet is a fake world, made by us. No one looks like their Instagram pictures at the grocery store. No one’s house is THAT perfect and clean 24/7. No one eats clean every single day. Who realistically goes on that many vacations....So here's what we should be reminding ourselves!

1. Be present every day! When you admire the fall scenery or the beautiful sunsets in Amherst, instead of pulling your phone out right away to show everyone on the gram, stop, take a deep breath and enjoy the view for a few seconds first!

2. Recognize when you are comparing your life to another online persona, remind yourself, it isn’t real life, and beautiful pictures are only beautiful pictures. Look around…how many models are at Trader Joes;)

3.  Set a goal for yourself to limit social media screen time! If you are like me and you fall into the dark hole of endless scrolling, you know that it can go on forever. Distract yourself with music, a book, a new series on Netflix, or even good old socializing. 

4. Unfollow! I know it may seem silly, but your algorithm is watching. Prevent yourself from seeing posts that trigger negative thoughts. It is a great first step to cleansing your socials. 

So next time your scrolling becomes endless, remember you aren’t alone. We are all human! We should all try your best to value our real world, more than our online world!

Here are some resources: 

How to Deal with Negativity in Social Media - Make Me Better

How to deal with the negative effects of social media - Headspace

Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? | Bailey Parnell | TEDxRyersonU - Bing video

Sources:

Wise, Jason. “How Many People Use Social Media in 2022? (Daily & Worldwide Stats).” EarthWeb, 24 Sept. 2022, https://earthweb.com/how-many-people-use-social-media/. 

“Link between Social Media & Body Image.” King University Online, 9 Oct. 2019, https://online.king.edu/news/social-media-and-body-image/#:~:text=The%20survey%20included%201%2C000%20men%20and%20women%20and,and%2037%25%20of%20men%20compare%20their%20bodies%20unfavorably. 

“The Impact of Social Media on Body Image, Eating, and Health.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 8 Feb. 2022, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/experimentations/202202/the-impact-social-media-body-image-eating-and-health. 

Take it From Me: Career Addition

By: Jolie Femia

As a young hopeful college student, I have sought every opportunity to improve my resume, or get the next job to prepare for the future. This led me to feelings of overwhelming doom and pressure that I must accept every academic and professional opportunity that came my way. I used to think there is a linear path I must take to get to the next step in my future career. I convinced myself there is a rule book, and list of prerequisites for the end goal to being successful and finding a job that is self-fulfilling. Everyone is different but for me, that future was law school. A turning point in my path happened last year, when I met with a pre-law advisor, and after she asked why I was there, I remember saying “so basically what should I be doing right now, to prepare for law school?”. I expected to be given a rigorous timeline with set steps, resume builders and internships, yet to my surprise the advisor said, “you should be doing things that make you happy”. I remember being shocked. I’d never heard such informal career advice, but it has stuck with me to this day.  Every time I overwhelm myself with the thought of what I “should '' be doing, or comparing myself to what others are achieving, I forget the most important question we should be asking ourselves and that is what do I “want” to be doing. We, as ambitious college students, should be doing more of what brings self-fulfillment and less of what brings external validation. Career discovery is about the connections you make, and the exploration of your own ideas. Those things do not need to have pressure attached to them. We are all on a different path, with different passions and therefore have different priorities. It is up to us! Success is not self-destructive. We can make decisions that bring happiness and help us reach our goals!