How to liven up your sunday

CEBU, Philippines — On certain days you wake up without a thought of anything interesting ahead. And you feel like it’s going to be a boring day. Sunday is often such a day.

When there’s no work or school, you tend to make your day empty. You don’t need to accomplish anything. Well, except perhaps getting yourself busy checking and uploading social media posts.

You know that your friends are feeling the same way too. So you are not alone; there’s no reason to be guilty for the ‘waste’ of time. After all, Sunday is a rest day.

Rest day, however, does not exclusively mean you have to be resting the whole time. There are other – even better – ways to spend the day. Time for relaxing doesn’t necessarily mean time for idling the minutes away.

Just one playful idea: Those currently in a relationship may think of sharing a new experience with their special someone. Maybe go somewhere they’d not been to together, maybe try cooking up an exotic meal, or maybe hike up the nearby hill. Such activities can really create memorable moments.

Many people try to fill their Sunday by going to church and doing laundry. These are good, positive things to do, of course. But after a while the routine no longer seem to fill up the whole day. And, at dusk, it can still feel like an empty Sunday.

The usual Sunday feeling doesn’t fill you with elation or enthusiasm, for sure. The morning can seem like you have an entire day stretching before you with nothing to fill it with. Again, you know you are not alone, so there’s no guilt. But it doesn’t mean you can just leave it like that.

You can make it an interesting Sunday, every week, even when there’s too little or no money to spend or no friends to keep you company. Even those who live alone may spice up their Sunday by intentionally doing certain things. Here are a few examples:

Cook a nice meal. Perhaps, again, you may get up from bed a little late today; an early breakfast is not really necessary, unless there are some chores that need accomplishing first off. Most likely, brunch is fine for your first meal of the day. Make it a fine one.

Cook something you wouldn’t have time to cook on a weekday morning. Make good coffee to go with some toast, spread out your newspaper like you own the planet, play some music. Take your time, savor your meal and pretend you’re in a posh café.

Get out of the house. Walk the dog, if you have one; like you, your pet needs some exercise. Talk to a neighbor; make new friends. Activity and a sense of community are good antidotes to boredom.

Staying inside the whole day can deprive you of healthful sunlight and the latest news in the neighborhood. It also invites boredom. You’ve probably grown too familiar with the four walls of the house; take this time to change your view.

Do some planning. Whether it’s for the next day or the next week or month or for the hereafter, planning things can be a good way to spend time. Would you want to go somewhere nice? Plan a trip and save for it. Or what would you like to be in five years, professionally or financially or romantically?

Reminisce. Have a nostalgia fest. Think of the good old days – and, well, the bad as well. There’s always that past you want to go back to. Those heartwarming moments back then can still warm your heart today. Or a past mistake, while painful to remember, might serve to remind you of the very pitfall you’ll want to avoid.

Play with the neighborhood kids. Even just friendly chitchats with the little children in the neighborhood can brighten up your day. Innocent ideas and stories are refreshing to hear. It can also get you closer to fellow human beings who are after nothing else from you except your very company. 

Do some clearing out. Check what’s stuffing up your place, the various things around the house. Give away the unneeded that may still be useful to others. The really used-out things, throw away. By doing some clearing out, you’ll reclaim precious space that’s been unnecessarily making your space – and your life! – cramped.

True, even simple things like those may seem quite a hurdle to do on a traditionally “lazy” day.  to ease you into a new routine, here’s a much shorter list of how not to preclude a boring Sunday:

Be in your most comfortable clothes. You may want to spend the whole day being in your undies. If you live alone, go ahead; just shut the door so no one will see. The sense of freedom is really something.

Think up new things to do. You want to sing to your heart’s content? Then have a karaoke time. You don’t need to leave home for that. Switch on the stereo and sing along to your favorite songs on CD. If you’re not quite confident with your talent, close all doors and windows so you won’t bother the neighbors.

There are many, many more things you can do to liven up an otherwise boring day. Sunday is a free day. The possibilities are endless!