Balanced Academic

Welcome to the first post in the Sunday Reset Series.

Each Sunday, I’ll share a short reflection or check-in to help you slow down, reset, and step confidently into the week ahead with a clearer head and lighter heart. Consider it your weekly antidote to the Sunday scaries.

There’s something about Sunday evenings that can feel heavy.

Not because the week ahead is necessarily bad, but because the week behind us is still hanging on – unfinished to-do lists, conversations we keep replaying, the email that we meant to send but didn’t.

Before we step into Monday, it’s worth asking: What can I leave in last week? What can I set down?

A quick reflection practice for tonight:

1. Name it.

Identify one thing from last week that’s still taking up space in your head. It could be a task you didn’t finish, a mistake you made, or just a lingering sense of “I didn’t do enough.” Whatever it is – write it down or say it out loud.

For me, it’s the results section of a manuscript that just didn’t get done.

2. Reframe it.

Ask: Do I need to bring this with me into next week? Sometimes the answer is no – and that’s your permission to let it go. If the answer is yes, rewrite it as a fresh, manageable task for the week ahead instead of carrying the guilt.

For me – instead of thinking “finish the section I should have finished last week,” I’ll add a point in my agenda to “continue working on the results section.”

3. Release it.

This can be as simple as closing your laptop, taking a deep breath, and stepping outside for a moment. The goal isn’t to erase what happened – but to free up mental space for what’s next.

Grad school, work, and life in general can make us feel like we need to hold everything all the time. But you’re allowed to set things down before you start again.

Sundays just got an upgrade!

Here’s to balance – one Sunday reset at a time.