The Sunday Reset: A Peaceful Way to Start Your Week Gently
There’s something about a Sunday Reset that invites a slower rhythm. A sacred exhale after the rush of the week. And before the cycle begins again, it offers us a quiet window, a chance to come back home to ourselves. There’s a certain hush to Sunday evenings. The light shifts. The world quiets. And if you lean into that hush, even for a moment, it can become something sacred.
Not a hustle. Not a checklist. But a ritual. A way to tend to your skin, your space, and your soul so you begin the new week not frazzled, but filled. Not striving, but softened. Not polished for performance, but glowing from rest. This is what I call the Sunday Reset Ritual – a weekly glow-up that honors your body, your spirit, and the woman you’re becoming.
Why We Need a Reset That Isn’t Rushed
We’re used to hearing words like “reset” in the context of pressure. Productivity. Hustle culture. The kind that makes you feel like you have to scrub the fridge, deep clean your inbox, and meal prep for a month — or else Monday will swallow you whole. But that’s not what we’re doing here. This kind of reset isn’t about performance. It’s about permission.
Permission to let go, to slow down, and to come home. To yourself, your space, and to God. A Sunday reset, in the spirit of A Quiet Life, is about gently folding the past week away and laying the foundation for a new one with grace, softness, and peace.
What Is a Sunday Reset Ritual?
A Sunday Reset Ritual is a rhythm, not a requirement. It’s a series of small, nurturing actions you can take to:
- Reset your body through gentle care
- Reset your home through peaceful preparation
- Reset your spirit through reflection, scripture, and rest
Think of it like a glow-up for your entire self, not the flashy kind, but the kind that roots you. Grounds you. Reminds you that you’re allowed to be tender with yourself. And the beauty is: you can do it in just 30–60 minutes, or stretch it into a full evening, depending on your season of life. The first part of your Sunday Reset ritual is to tend to your body.
Step One: A Slow Skincare Ritual – Begin Your Sunday Reset with Self-Care
This is where the glow begins, not from fancy products, but from presence. Set the scene:
- Light a candle (a soft Everwood Lane scent, if you have one)
- Drape a towel over your shoulders
- Play soft instrumental music or your favorite worship playlist
- Let the bathroom be your sanctuary
Then begin:
- Cleanse with care. Use warm water and a gentle cleanser — or create your own with honey and oat flour. Massage your face slowly, in circles, like you’re thanking it for holding every emotion this week.
- Steam or exfoliate, if you like. A bowl of hot water with dried lavender or chamomile is enough. Let the warmth draw out what needs releasing.
- Apply a nourishing mask or serum. Not for results, but for ritual. Let your skin drink in the calm.
- Moisturize, slowly. Press the cream or oil into your skin as if sealing in love.
This is your time. No rush. No mirrors required.
Step Two: Reset One Corner of Your Home – A Simple Sunday Reset
Don’t try to overhaul the house. Instead, choose one space that matters to you. Maybe it’s:
- Your bedside table
- The kitchen sink
- The entryway
- The laundry folded and tucked away
- A fresh set of sheets on the bed
Keep it simple. Lightly sweep. Wipe a surface. Fluff a pillow. Water a plant. This is a visual reminder that you are cared for, not just spiritually, but physically. Your outer space can support your inner peace.
Bonus: Put on a cozy linen apron while you tidy. You’d be surprised how much it shifts the mood from chore to ritual.
Create a “Quiet Home Reset” Ritual
Let’s go just a bit deeper into what it means to reset your space with love, not as a performance, but as a preparation for peace.
You don’t need to deep clean. You don’t need to organize every cupboard. But if you reset just one space intentionally, it can echo throughout your entire home.
Here are a few options I come back to again and again:
Your Bed as a Sanctuary
Strip the linens. Shake out the tiredness. Remake the bed like it’s an altar of rest.
- Fluff the pillows.
- Spritz lavender water on the sheets.
- Fold your pajamas and lay them at the edge like a quiet invitation to rest.
When you treat your bed like a sacred space, your body starts to believe it.
A Candle Corner
Choose a small surface. A side table, a tray, the corner of a counter. Wipe it clean and make it beautiful:
- A candle
- A Bible or devotional
- A few flowers or a small stone you picked up on a walk
This is your prayer corner. Your reflection corner. Your “just for you” corner.
Sometimes just one tiny spot of beauty can center the whole room — and your spirit.
A Simple Entryway Ritual
Before the new week arrives, take a moment to welcome it.
- Sweep the front step
- Light a candle in your entry
- Add a fresh note on a chalkboard or mirror: “You are welcome here.”
This isn’t about impressing guests, it’s about reminding yourself that you live here, too. You deserve welcome and warmth, even from your own door.
Step Three: Tend to Your Soul – The Heart of a Sunday Reset
Now that your skin is softened and your space is calmer, it’s time to exhale into reflection. This is the soul-tending part of your glow-up.
What you need:
- A journal (any notebook will do)
- A pen that feels nice in your hand
- A Bible or devotional
- Quiet
Begin with Scripture. Some of my favorites for Sundays:
- “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:11
- “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28
- “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.” – Isaiah 30:15
Then, write. Here are a few journaling prompts to begin:
- What did I carry this week that I no longer want to hold?
- Where did I feel God’s presence most?
- What would a slower week ahead look like for me?
No pressure to be profound. Let it be messy. Let it be honest. And then… pause. Sip your tea. Let the candle flicker. Feel the peace settle.
The Spiritual Meaning Behind the Ritual
This rhythm isn’t just about aesthetics or productivity, it’s about creating space for presence. And presence is where God meets us.
In the quiet folding of a blanket, in the steam that rises from your mug, in the softening of your face after a long week. These are sacred acts. They might seem small, but God delights in the small. As it says in Zechariah 4:10:
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”
What if tending to yourself is holy? Or if preparing your home is prayer? What if lighting a candle is the modern-day burning bush that signals: the Lord is near? You don’t need to escape your life to feel God. You just need to create quiet, enough to notice Him already there.
Optional Add-Ons to Deepen the Ritual
Depending on how much time you have (and what your soul needs), here are a few other gentle additions:
Herbal Bath Soak
Add Epsom salt, dried rose petals, and a few drops of lavender or frankincense to your bath. Bring a book. Or bring nothing at all.
Light Stretching
Try five minutes of quiet, prayerful stretching. Arms reaching overhead, slow neck rolls, a gentle forward fold. Breathe deeply.
Soft Worship or Instrumental
Let music wash over your heart. Something without lyrics can feel like a balm.
Slow Reading
End your night with a few pages from a soul-nourishing book. Something timeless, beautiful, and unhurried.
More Gentle Glow-Up Practices to Add
Once your foundational ritual feels familiar, you can begin adding in small rhythms to make it your own.
Seasonal Self-Tending Ideas:
Depending on the time of year, consider rotating in:
- Spring: Wildflower walk + floral foot soak
- Summer: Cooling cucumber mask + barefoot garden prayer
- Autumn: Spiced apple cider + leaf-pressing or journaling under a tree
- Winter: Wool socks, warm bath, Psalm 23 whispered in candlelight
These aren’t extra tasks. They’re memory-making. Anchors. Rituals that root you.
What Makes This a “Glow-Up” Ritual?
We’ve been sold a lie that glow-ups are about transformation you can see. But this kind? It’s about transformation you feel.
- It’s glowing from within — not because of highlighter, but because of rest.
- It’s soft eyes and unclenched jaws and hands no longer holding too much.
- It’s walking into Monday with your soul anchored instead of scattered.
This is the kind of glow-up that doesn’t fade by Thursday. Because it isn’t aesthetic, it’s anchored.
Common Questions
“Do I have to do this every Sunday?”
Not at all. But you may find that your week feels different when you do.
“I have kids – how can I do this?”
Pick one part to focus on. Maybe it’s five minutes with your skincare. Or a journal session after bedtime. You don’t have to do it all to feel its effects.
“Can I do this on a different day?”
Absolutely. A quiet Tuesday night reset? Just as sacred.
The Meat & Potatoes
You don’t need a new planner or a new productivity system. Don’t feel like you need to be a different version of yourself by Monday morning. You just need one quiet hour, a warm cloth, a softened space, a whispered prayer, and the permission to begin again, gently.
Let that be your glow-up.
A Side Note to the Woman Who Feels Like This Is Too Much
If you’re reading this and thinking, “That sounds beautiful… but I barely got through the week,” I want you to know:
You are still invited.
Even if you’re tired, even if your house is loud, even if you only have five minutes to yourself.
Choose one thing tonight. Just one.
- Wash your face slowly.
- Light the candle.
- Read one line of scripture and let it hold you.
God doesn’t need an elaborate ritual to meet you. He just needs you to pause. Even a 1-minute reset can be holy ground. However you begin, remember that your Sunday Reset isn’t about perfection, it’s about peace.
Let’s Talk in the Comments
I’d love to hear from you:
Do you have a Sunday ritual or rhythm that helps you feel grounded?
Let me know in the comments below!
