Tips for Battling the Sunday Scaries!

 Written by Helena Lorenz, M.S.W, LMSW

Licensed Master Social Worker

If you work a regular Monday-Friday job, odds are you have probably been acquainted with the “Sunday Scaries” at some point. The scaries are the specific and sometimes rather intense anxieties that set in on the last day of the weekend in preparation for the start of the work week. We start ruminating over all the things we have to get done this week or, worse yet, all the things we should have gotten done last week. We technically still have an entire beautiful day off laid before us, but we occupy it with all the stresses and worries of the next day. So, how can we make that dreaded Monday not so dreadful? Here are a few tips you can try to reclaim your Sundays and start your work week off on the right foot!

1.     Set boundaries around your worry time

-        Set a timer for yourself for how long you are allowed to think about work on Sunday and give yourself an hour to devise a plan of attack for the week. Maybe make a list of the top 3 priorities you have for Monday, or maybe make a list of meetings you need to schedule. Maybe even get a few emails out of the way and postmark them for Monday morning so you know you can start off the next day with a more organized inbox. Whatever you do, make sure to come to a hard stop after the hour. Setting this strict boundary helps give your anxious thoughts a genuine purpose - they are helping you be proactive! After an hour of genuine productivity, you get to meaningfully set it all aside and focus on relaxation and recuperation.

2.     Engage in mindfulness practices that keep you rooted in the present

-        As discussed in the intro, part of the issue with the Sunday Scaries is that they are taking us out of the present moment and plopping us right into the work week before it’s even actually begun. We do ourselves no favors when we decide to live preemptively in the future, so let’s engage in some exercises that help us feel more present in the now. Yoga and other forms of exercise are great ways to keep us mindful because we have to be focused on the present in order to perform the moves properly and safely. Meditation is also an awesome tool, either to help start or end the day with a clear, focused mind. Gratitude journaling is also a lovely way to stay in the moment! Make a list of things you can be grateful for every Sunday, and take time to savor them.

3.     Find ways to genuinely look forward to Monday

-        Now I know there are probably plenty of reasons we are hoping to avoid Mondays altogether, but can we come up with positive rituals that can help us counteract that? Formulate a few ideas that can help the start of the week feel a little rosier. Maybe it’s starting out the morning with a 10-minute dance party to wake yourself up. Maybe it’s reserving your absolute favorite takeout for lunch on Mondays only, so that the day is associated with a special treat. Or maybe, it’s ending the workday with a regular happy hour or trivia night so you know you will have something to look forward to. Any kind of reward works for congratulating yourself on starting the week!

If you’re consistently struggling to get your Sunday scaries in check, contact us to see how anxiety therapy can help.