7-Minute Weekend-to-Week Self-Care Bridge
Time needed: 7 minutes (2-2-3 minutes)
Setting: Sunday evening before new week
Purpose: Integrating weekend restoration into weekday sustainability
Weekend Harvest (2 minutes)
What: Reflect on this weekend’s self-care moments:
- What restored you most this weekend?
- Which self-care practice felt most sustainable?
- What did you skip that you missed?
- How do you feel different from Friday evening?
Write down the 2-3 practices that genuinely helped.
Notice: Which self-care actually worked versus what you thought should work, energy differences from weekend rest
Why: Identifies effective practices, builds evidence for self-care value, prevents losing weekend gains
Week Ahead Reality Check (2 minutes)
What: Look at upcoming week honestly:
- Which days look most demanding?
- Where are natural self-care moments available?
- What typically derails your self-care?
- When do you most need support?
Map 3 specific times this week for micro self-care moments.
Notice: Realistic versus idealistic planning, where you typically abandon self-care, what obstacles are predictable
Why: Creates realistic self-care integration, prevents all-or-nothing thinking, builds sustainable planning
Self-Care Insurance Policy (3 minutes)
What: Create your non-negotiable self-care minimums:
- Choose 2 daily micro-moments you’ll protect (even 30 seconds counts)
- Identify 1 mid-week reset practice
- Plan 1 Friday wind-down ritual
- Write what you’ll tell yourself when you want to skip self-care
Set phone reminders for your chosen times.
Notice: What feels truly manageable versus overwhelming, which practices feel most essential, any resistance to committing
Why: Makes self-care concrete and scheduled, prevents week-long self-care abandonment, builds sustainable habits
Closing: Promise yourself “Self-care travels with me this week”
Notice: How planning affects Monday morning anxiety
Why: Bridges weekend restoration into weekday sustainability
Tips:
- Start smaller than you think necessary
- Protect micro-moments fiercely
- Use transition times for self-care
- Plan for obstacles and setbacks
- Remember consistency over perfection