Sunday resets find relaxation in routine through tasks such as doing laundry or cleaning. Credit: Faith Schneider | Arts & Life Photo Editor
After unpacking her groceries, Reese McGuire sits down at her freshly-wiped desk that still smells of bleach.?
Nearby, her color-coordinated planner sits open as she edits and posts her latest TikTok, captioned “Sunday reset.”?
For McGuire, a fourth-year in marketing, the Sunday reset is more than a trend — it’s a lifestyle.
For many, Sundays bring overwhelming feelings of anxiety and dread — known as the “Sunday scaries” — when thinking about the week ahead. To tackle these feelings, social media users have implemented a weekly habit to adequately prepare themselves for the following days.?
Whether it’s doing laundry or going grocery shopping, Sunday resets consist of the annoying chores that take up free time during a busy week.?
Though there isn’t an official checklist for the routine, since it varies by individual, McGuire said sticking to the same tasks helps set her up for success.
“I’m always washing my sheets. That’s the biggest thing that I prioritize getting done every week, because it’s always been one of those things that I love to do,” McGuire said. “Then I do my general laundry, my dishes, sweeping, cleaning all my surfaces. When I start my week, the next day I wake up and it’s just a fresh area for me to do my work and whatever else I need to get done.”?
McGuire, who started filming and posting her own Sunday resets on TikTok after being inspired by her favorite TikTok influencer, Emilie Kiser, said the weekly ritual is the primary way for her to relax.
“It’s very therapeutic to me to clean. Most of the time, I’ll just put my headphones on and get in a zone,” McGuire said. “It’s just so easy for me to walk around my apartment, or when I was doing the videos more consistently in my dorm, and it was just such a good feeling to have it done.”?
McGuire isn’t the only one who finds relaxation through routine. Kentaro Fujita, an Ohio State professor of social and decision psychology, said habits can reduce stress levels by removing the weight of choice.
“If you have to make decisions and plan throughout the week, there’s always this uncertainty that you don’t know if you’re actually going to get it done,” Fujita said. “But if you have a routine, you know that when that time comes, you’ll get it done. That can be very relieving. There’s a sense of ‘I know what’s going to happen next’ that gives it a sense of predictability, which you may or may not have in the rest of your week.”
While Sunday is traditionally a day of rest, Fujita said it also acts as a natural break point in the calendar that allows students to mentally reset.
“There are times or dates that people generally think of as the end or beginning of something,” Fujita said. “These natural break points serve as good opportunities to erase what happened previously and start with a fresh slate … allowing us to forget all of our previous failures and also be able to leverage optimism for what’s about to come.”
Fujita said this surge in productivity is also fueled by what psychologists call the “stuck in the middle effect.” He said people tend to have the highest motivation at the beginning and end of the week, but their motivation drops in the middle.?
Because Sunday acts as the start or finish line, students often feel more motivated to tackle tasks than they would in the middle of the week.
McGuire said for her, the Sunday reset trend quickly turned into a passion.
“It started as more of a hobby of mine, and then after I started making the TikToks, I realized I loved it,” McGuire said. “It’s that sense of accomplishment that I love, and that sets me up for a good week.”
For those looking to start the habit without feeling overwhelmed, McGuire said she suggests starting small.?
“Start with baby steps,” McGuire said. “You don’t have to wash your sheets and do the whole nine [yards], but just setting a goal of whatever will make you feel good and accomplished is the biggest thing.”
