“Oh, Sunday – how can you be the best day of the week while simultaneously the worst? What is it that makes you so relaxing but yet, so scary?”
If you’ve ever had this conversation with yourself on a Sunday night, don’t worry, you are not alone. What you’re experiencing is a phenomenon called the “Sunday Scaries”. The Sunday Scaries is the anxiety you get when you feel the impending doom of the workweek to come, normally occurring around Sunday afternoon.
The Sunday Scaries are real and people all over the planet experience the anxiety that the night- before-the-week-starts can bring. Even as a business owner, the nerves of all your commitments for the upcoming week could become overwhelming once Sunday night rolls around. To combat some of that, here are my favorite tips to help kick those spooky feelings:
Start the day off right
Whether it be making your favorite breakfast, (safely) visiting your local coffee shop, or making your bed – give yourself a good start. How your day starts has the power to set the tone for the rest of the day. Forcing yourself to “wake up on the right side of the bed” is one thing you can control and something that can set you in the right state of mind for the rest of the day.
Go for a walk
Popping in headphones, grabbing the dogs, (or, your kids, or partner, or no one at all), and taking a scenic walk can be a great way to get your blood flowing. You can use this time to clear your head, collect your thoughts, reflect on anything that happened in the last week, or think about the week ahead. Starting the new week in a good mental state can help you navigate what the work week ahead might be like.
Cook your favorite comfort food
Pasta, soup, roasted chicken, anything you like, Sunday dinner style. There’s little that compares to the feeling of warming up your house on a cold day with your favorite comfort food (not to mention the smell). Pour yourself your favorite drink, pull up that Pinterest recipe, and just take your time cooking something that will make you feel good. Bonus: you can carry this feeling into leftovers for lunch on Monday.
Take a bath
Baths are the ultimate self-care moment. Big bubbles, Epsom salt, a glass of wine, and a good book and you could be feeling like a new person after soaking for as long as the water stays warm. This is your time, no distractions, no to-do lists, or projects to worry about. This is your moment to check in on yourself. How are you feeling? What is your mental state like? Any aches or pains anywhere? Use this time to truly care for yourself. It is the perfect way to end a Sunday and start a new week.
The one way to fuel the anxiety the Sunday Scaries bring is to spend the whole day thinking about. If you’re counting down the hours before the weekend ends, and only thinking about the busy week ahead, it will be impossible to have a good day. Try to stay in the moment – Sunday is still the weekend, you still have time to focus on yourself, you still have time to relax and destress before Monday rolls around, use that time for good.
I hope these tips help you to beat the Sunday Scaries! If you have any Sunday rituals you think everyone should know about, tell us in the comments.
