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There was a Real Simple article around how the French do Sundays and how it’s good for you, but there’s a whole region that media often forget – that’s Latin America, the queen of rest and slow living (yet people seem to conveniently forget our great habits).
Sundays are scary for everyone, including people like us who are freelancers with clients and who don’t have to go into an office. There’s a sense of dread that you feel (the “Sunday Scaries!”) of the day creeping up on you, the work-to-do lists circling in your mind, the emails from clients, the requests your boss sent you on Friday.
But don’t kid yourself because it wasn’t always like this! None of your ancestors – wherever they may have lived – were scared of Sundays. They lived life in a different way: it was present, memorable, fun, and full of joy and family.
We talk about this a lot in our book Radical Señora Era: Latin American Secrets for a Happier, Healthier Life.
Here’s how to have Latin American sunday – and avoid the Sunday Scaries:
1. Sleep in, then nap again later
Napping isn’t a weekend indulgence in Latin America — it’s baked into the rhythm of the day. In entire towns across the region, shops still close around 3 p.m. for a few hours, not for a special occasion but simply because everyone goes home to eat lunch or lie down. A Latin American Sunday makes room for that same instinct: a second nap, guilt-free, somewhere in the twenty-to-thirty-minute range — long enough to actually feel it, short enough that you’re not groggy for the rest of the day.
2. Get spiritual
If you practice, and you go to church or temple or your mosque, that’s built-in slow living practice that your ancestors did every week. But Sunday structure doesn’t have to mean religion specifically, but it does mean something that gets you dressed, out of the house, and back into community. For generations, going to church did exactly that — it gave people a reason to get ready every Sunday morning, see their friends, learn something new, and maybe do a little good for someone else. It satisfied a basic need for closeness that’s easy to lose track of during the week. If, like for some of us, church isn’t your thing, the instinct still holds — find whatever gets you into a room with other people on purpose, whether that’s a walk with a friend, a class, or a standing Sunday coffee date.
3. Cook something that takes all day, on purpose
Sunday cooking in Latin American households was rarely about a quick meal — it was about prepping for the whole week ahead, slowly, with a big pot going on the stove for hours. A good stand-in is the classic green soup so many of us grew up half-hating: whatever greens, zucchini, onion, and squash are on hand, thrown into a pot, covered in water, simmered, blended, and finished with olive oil. It’s humble, it’s nearly free, and it’s the kind of dish that turns Sunday cooking into something meditative instead of a chore. Pick one dish — a soup, a pot of beans, a slow braise — and let it anchor your kitchen time for the day.
4. Put your phone away and pick up a book instead
Our ancestral señoras filled their downtime with radio, records, and books, not doomscrolling. They were, by most measures, more grounded and more present than we are now — not because they were disciplined, but because the option to disappear into a screen simply didn’t exist yet. Try one phone-free hour on Sunday. Not a full detox, just enough to remember what it feels like to be a little bored in a good way. PUT THE PHONE AWAY or use the Brick, which shuts your phone off for a certain amount of time.
5. Fire up the grill, even with no occasion
The asado doesn’t need a celebration to justify itself — that’s the whole point. Barbecues are woven into daily life across Latin America, done often and usually for no reason at all beyond wanting to be together. They give families a reason to catch up, pass down recipes, and spend time outside. No backyard, no problem — a park or a beach that allows grilling works too, as long as you bring a comfortable chair, a blanket, and someone to share it with. It’s so simple you can do this with your immediate family, or even your neighbors. Go to the store in the morning, grab some good beef or chicken (or veggies if you’re a vegetarian), and plan to fire up the grill for lunch. You’ll be surprised how much it improves your mood and helps you forget about tomorrow.
6. Call your comadre, or host her for tea
Sunday is a good day to lean on the comadre system — the close, chosen-family friendships that Latin American women have relied on for generations. A comadre is often described as family in every way but blood: the one who shows up, who you can call about anything, who becomes a permanent fixture in your life. Keeping that tradition alive doesn’t require much — a weekly check-in text, a phone call, a standing shopping trip followed by a cafecito, or going fully old-school and setting the table for tea.
7. Water something
Whether it’s a full backyard garden or one plant on a windowsill, tending to something living is a quiet, low-stakes Sunday ritual with real roots. There’s something almost absurdly simple about pinching a few leaves off your own herb plant to make a cup of tea — and it’s exactly the kind of activity that isn’t about productivity at all. These rituals were never meant to accomplish anything. Their entire purpose was to force a moment of rest into an otherwise full day.
More Ways to Relax, According to a Therapist
Slowing down doesn’t have to mean sitting still — and according to Heather Hagen, MS, LMFT, Executive Director at Newport Healthcare, some of the most effective relaxation isn’t quiet at all.
“Relaxation isn’t always quiet. Sometimes the most effective way to unwind isn’t meditation or a spa day — it’s play. Whether that’s doodling, walking outside, building LEGOs, or laughing with friends, activities that spark curiosity and joy help shift the brain out of stress mode and into recovery,” says Hagen.
A few of her go-to techniques pair naturally with a slower Sunday:
Take an “awe break.” Spend a few minutes intentionally noticing something that inspires wonder — a sunset, trees, the ocean — to shift attention away from daily stressors and cultivate gratitude.
Swap screen time for green time. Instead of reaching for your phone during a break, step outside for a short walk or sit in a park. Nature helps restore mental energy and regulate mood, especially after a lot of time on a phone or computer.
Give yourself permission to play. Do something purely because it’s enjoyable, not because it’s productive. Play activates different parts of the brain that support stress relief, resilience, and overall well-being. Bedazzle something! It’s all the rage right now, and very easy to do.
Create “micro moments” of joy. Relaxation doesn’t have to take an hour. A few minutes of doodling, singing in the car, tossing a ball, or simply noticing your surroundings can count.
Engage in low-pressure creativity. Coloring, paint-by-number, journaling, or drawing with zero expectation of the result being “good.” The process is the point, not the outcome.
Reconnect with childhood hobbies, or “kidulting.” Build a LEGO set, play a board game, color, or revisit whatever nostalgic activity brought you comfort as a kid.
Make relaxation social. Invite a friend for a walk, play a game with family, or joke around with people you like. Combining connection with something playful reduces stress and builds well-being at the same time.
As Hagen puts it: “Relaxation doesn’t have to look like sitting still or clearing your mind. Some of the most restorative activities are the ones that spark curiosity, creativity, or joy, whether that’s taking a walk outside, doodling, or doing something simply because it’s fun.”