5 Tips to defeat Sunday Scaries
Have you ever struggled with feelings of extreme anxiety and dread on Sunday’s? Are your Sunday’s always a struggle every week? Do your thoughts always go to thinking about your work week, and the ever-dreaded Monday? If this describes how you are feeling know that you are not alone. I struggle with this on a weekly basis, and I have come to find out that there is a name for these feelings, Sunday Scaries. According to a LinkedIn Survey, about 80% of professionals say they experience Sunday Scaries, with over 90% pf Millennials and Gen Z reporting that they feel this way.
So, you may be asking yourself, what is Sunday Scaries? What causes them and how to I manage them in my life?
Sunday Scaries, or the Sunday Blues are feelings of anxiety or dread that happen on the day before going back to work. For me, the trigger could be thinking about the work waiting for me on Monday, dealing with an issue or difficult person/project at work, or just free-floating anxiety with no real root cause, except that it is dreading Monday. You could also be feeling anxiety about not having clear work/life balance, which is common with hybrid work schedules especially. Now that we know what Sunday Scaries are and also some ideas on what might be a trigger, let’s talk about ways that you can manage the thoughts which result in anxious and/or depressed feelings on Sunday’s.
My first tip on how to manage the Sunday Scaries is something that will help us to focus on the present, which is meditation. When we meditate we focus on the here and now, and not in the past or in the future. While we can not stop the thoughts about the future week ahead, because our minds will continue to try to go there, we can practice mindfulness, acceptance and then putting the thought on the shelf (like a book) or in a box. My box is silver/purple with sparkles – and I just try to put that thought aside and in-the-box, giving acceptance, acknowledgement and not stuffing the thought away or shaming myself for thinking this way. Meditation can help us to build resilience and awareness and reduce overall stress.
My second tip is to get a clearer sense of perspective. This will allow us to not only start to notice what thoughts contribute to Sunday Scaries, but also helps us to really focus on and pay attention to things that are more beneficial. This allows us to be more proactive rather than reactive, which can help to improve mindset overall. Some ways to be more proactive is to possibly delete work related apps from our personal devices, scheduling in time for meditation and breaks throughout the workday (and sticking to them). One thing that has helped me is to set time to write/journal my thoughts throughout the day – EVERYDAY. This will help you to notice patterns, trends and also to help clear the thought from the mind and put it on paper.
Third, and this is very important – watch for Negative Self Talk. How we speak to ourselves has an impact on our mental and physical health, including how we manage stress. Our brains are programed to believe what we say to ourselves as truth. Try reframing your thoughts from Sunday=Anxiety to Self-Care Sunday. Consider doing things that bring us joy on Sunday’s including resting and doing nothing 😊.
My fourth tip is to set an intention. By creating a practical intention on Sundays for the week ahead it can help us to navigate workplace stressors more effectively. We are choosing to act and making a commitment to ourselves when we do not have to. The clearer the intention the more likely it is to happen and the more likely it is to happen. Make sure to use supportive language instead of “I need to” or “I must”. An example of supportive language is “This week my aim is to try to take feedback less personally.”
The fifth and final tip is to unlearn multitasking and to be productive. When we multi-task we are less productive than if we focus on one task at a time. For example, meal prepping on Sunday for the work week. Multi-tasking is a waste of time, so next time try to approach tasks mindfully, one at a time to see how much more productive you can be. Make a list of what you would like to accomplish, including time for yourself. Get active and enjoy nature. By focusing on one task at a time we might be able to get into the zone, become immersed in what we are doing, and working or relaxing with a sense of fulfillment.
Here is where a wellness, or life coach, like myself can help you with this problem. We can look at what thoughts or challenges are causing the Sunday Scaries, and then work to set goals to help reduce and ultimately eliminate the anxiety. We can look at journaling thoughts, preparing for the upcoming week by meal prepping, finding joy in life, self-care practices, mindfulness, work/life balance tips and tricks just to name a few. The purpose of a life coach is to help you to establish goals and hold yourself accountable to the goals that you establish. Life coaches focus on the present and where you want to be in the future, and then helping you to refine steps to achieve your future goals one small step at a time.
