What to do on a Sunday evening? It’s not unusual to feel down on Sunday evening. In fact, without really knowing what’s happening to us, a sadness rises and we wish we could avoid it. That’s why, in this article, I’m sharing with you 10 ideas for inviting joy on Sunday evening rather than depression.

1 – What to do on a Sunday evening? Reading, but not just any book and not just any way

To avoid getting depressed, you need to make this moment as magical as possible. So we’re not going to pick up the magazine that’s been lying on the shelf for a week. No, we’re going to pick up the book we’ve been meaning to read for a while. The one that’s in our to-be-read pile.

If you don’t have a pile of books to read, pick a book you’ve already read and loved!

Then, dim the lights a little if you can, or light a few candles and a stick of incense. If that doesn’t please everyone in the living room, go to your bedroom and light some candles and incense.

Then, look at the clock and give yourself 30 minutes, 1 hour even, to read and commit to doing just that. In other words, no telephone or television.

Why not? Because the Sunday night blues kick in because we can’t concentrate on just one thing, we zap, we do several things at once, but because we can’t concentrate, our thoughts get restless and start to worry about the week ahead.

So, what to do on Sunday evening? Immerse yourself in a great book for a while!

2 – Watch a film, but not just any film, and not just any way.

We’re not talking about flipping on the TV and grumbling “There’s never anything good on”. Or stumbling across a program that tells us for the thousandth time that the world is a dangerous place…

In fact, Sunday evenings are all about inviting the joys of life, not the grumblings and other dark ideas of society.

So, in concrete terms, you’re going to make a list of your 10 favorite movies and then leave it to chance. Really, list them on a piece of paper, then close your eyes and let your finger point randomly at one of the films.

Wait, there’s more! To make the moment even more magical, you’re going to dim the lights or even turn them off altogether and light some candles.

You’re also going to look for something to nibble on. Yes, it’s not very dietetic, but we’re talking about indulging yourself and making a Sunday evening MAGICAL!

So a little sugar, or salt for that matter, will go a long way.

It’s important to understand that the Sunday night blues arise because it’s a special day, a parenthesis before a new week arrives, and yet we don’t do anything special…

What to do on Sunday evening? Create a special Sunday night movie night!

3 – Prepare a great meal

Sometimes the Sunday evening blues arrive before the evening, but rather in the afternoon. In such cases, the key is to get away from dark thoughts. But how? How about keeping our hands busy with cooking?

Cooking is a moment when time stands still. Our thoughts are busy checking what we’re doing, and above all our 5 senses are put to work: we see, taste, smell, touch and hear.

And while we’re concentrating on our 5 senses, we’re not concentrating on the gloomy thoughts that are starting to create the Sunday evening blues.

What’s more, once the meal is cooked, we enjoy ourselves and our tummies can start purring with happiness.

What to do on Sunday evening? Take our minds off things by keeping our 5 senses busy with the preparation of a delicious meal.

4 – Eat light and take a hot bath

Or you can choose to eat light and take a nice long hot bath.

The water soothes us, the bath smells nice and it’s very relaxing.

Yes, we mustn’t underestimate the magical power of a good hot bath on our body and mind, as time stands still and our thoughts become increasingly discrete.

What’s more, you can add soft music and a great book to your bath!

What to do on Sunday evening? Take a bath!

5 – What to do on Sunday evening? Practice gratitude

On Sunday evenings, our thoughts get restless. They start thinking about the week ahead and imagining a whole host of problems.

We listen quietly to our thoughts and start to stress.

Why don’t we stop?

We have the right not to listen to our thoughts, especially those that stress us.

For this, there’s a magical practice: gratitude.

For every negative thought, simply list 3 things for which you feel grateful. In effect, you balance the negative with a lot of positive, and breathe easier.

You can also make it a Sunday evening ritual. Take a sheet of paper and a pencil and list all the beautiful things that have happened to you this week, all the beautiful moments, the beautiful feelings.

You can also list all the reasons why you think you’re already lucky.

What to do on Sunday evening? Don’t let dark thoughts creep in by practicing gratitude.

6 – Plan a pleasant moment for each day of the following week

We often get depressed on a Sunday evening, when our thoughts turn to the fact that the week ahead looks bleak, that it’s full of things to do, but things we don’t really want to do.

Then it’s time to act.

Take out your diary and write down a 10-15 minute activity for each day of the week. Something that makes you smile.

It could be playing with the kids, reading, walking, running, gardening, sewing, playing a video game…

The aim is to vary the pleasures a little.

What to do on Sunday evening? Plan for joy in every day of the week ahead.

Too often, we think that happiness is found in big, expensive activities, but it doesn’t have to be. You’ll find that giving yourself 10-15 minutes every day to do something you WANT and LOVE will change EVERYTHING.

7 – What to do on Sunday evening? Plan a great activity for next weekend

Sometimes we get a little depressed on a Sunday evening, because the days that follow seem to look the same.

How about adding a great activity for next weekend? That way, you’ll create a sense of anticipation and excitement, and your week will seem much more beautiful.

Again, it doesn’t have to be a big, expensive activity. In fact, it could be: planning an afternoon of reading, painting, walking in the woods, discovering a corner of the region…

What to do on Sunday evening? Plan an activity that will put a smile on your face for the weekend ahead.

8 – What to do on Sunday evening? Call family or friends

Sometimes we get lonely on a Sunday evening, so why not call a friend or family member.

Mind you, this isn’t a call to complain and lament. No, it’s about calling to spend a happy moment on the phone.

So, we breathe before we call, think of nice things, a video that made us laugh during the week and call to talk about it.

What to do on Sunday evening? Share a few laughs with loved ones.

9 – Play with your children or your dog or cat

No, it’s not about playing as usual. In fact, it’s Sunday evening, and we’re going to take advantage of it to make this a magical evening.

So we’re going to play a big game. A treasure hunt, or put cushions all over the floor and imagine there’s lava on the ground.

You and your dog can go outside to play, weather permitting.

In fact, the idea here is to turn a gloomy Sunday evening into a magical moment.

So close your eyes and let your creativity guide you!

What to do on Sunday evening? Play so intensely that the neighbors will want to join in (or yell at you, laugh!).

10 – Write down everything that comes to mind on a piece of paper, then throw it away.

Sometimes, when we’re feeling down and out, the prospect of doing anything, even something we enjoy, just doesn’t feel right. We have no energy, no joy.

So we’re going to free ourselves from all this black poison. To do this, we’re going to take a sheet of paper and a pen and write down EVERYTHING that comes into our heads.

Write down all your dark thoughts, even if they seem ridiculous.

Just write.

And write some more.

Until there’s nothing but silence in your head.

Then, don’t reread. Fold the paper, take 3 deep breaths and say to yourself: “I’m freeing myself from this poison”. Then throw it away.

And finally, look at another idea from this article and test it.

What to do on Sunday evening? Free ourselves from all our dark thoughts by writing.

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover My 200 tips for happiness
Discover Practicing positive thinking: 3 advice to returning to the positive

I recommend this inspiring book:

The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith

In this delightful novel, Alexander McCall Smith introduces readers to the charming world of Isabel Dalhousie, an amateur philosopher. As the main character contemplates the mysteries of life, the book captures the essence of a Sunday evening spent in contemplation and introspection. McCall Smith’s story provides a comfortable backdrop for relaxation and reflection, making it an ideal companion for a relaxing Sunday evening.

I read the whole book on a cold rainy day, sipping hot tea and nursing a cold. It was a pleasure to meet Isabel, her niece Cat, her housekeeper Grace and her friend Jamie, and to follow Isabel on her quest to discover why a handsome young man fell from the balcony right in front of her while she was attending a concert.
A must-read for McCall Smith fans.

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself