The Sunday scaries are something that can creep in and start to take over anyones weekends. Even if you really like your job or schoolwork, you can still fall victim to that sinking feeling in your stomach that won’t let you enjoy your day off. All because you have to head back to reality the next day!
Thankfully there are things that we have found that truly do help avoiding the Sunday scaries (or whatever you want to call that feeling of dread on Sundays if you don’t like the cute name).
And before we get into how to avoid and fight through the Sunday scaries we definitely need to really understand what they are. As well as why they can really have a negative impact on us.
What are the Sunday scaries?
The Sunday Scaries are the yucky, dreadful sense that you get on Sundays about the impending work week. The feelings that stop
ALSO- the Sunday Scaries don’t just happen exclusively on Sundays- it’s just the day before you go into work or school after 1 or 2 days off, regardless what days of the week those are. I worked in hospitality for years and years and it was so rare to have a Saturday and Sunday off together. But I totally experienced the Sunday scaries during any day of the week off which is a real bummer.
Why do the Sunday scaries really mess me up?
There is a lot of reasons that they can mess you up so let’s chat about the most common ones. First off, two days is just really not that much especially when you haven’t had a week off in a while. That is totally normal to feel! Second, the anxiety that comes with the unknown. And unfortunately anxious thoughts not only suck to deal with but they also suck up so much time, ugh! Third (and this kinda rolls in with the others) is they make us feel like we are wasting our weekend. Which leads to a mental spiral because you want to enjoy it and you feel even worse when you “lose” a weekend day.
Now that we have gotten on the same page about what the Sunday scaries are and why they are the worst it’s time for the better part- how to avoid them! So let’s get into it-
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How To Realistically Avoid The Sunday Scaries
Steps to keep away those Sunday blues:
Step 1: Prep for Monday but don’t focus on it
This might seem counter-productive but stay with me- prepping for Monday can help make Monday feel less intimidating and stressful. And it doesn’t (and shouldn’t) be a big commitment. Getting ready for the work week should take less than 20 minutes of your PERSONAL time.
And what exactly makes you dread Monday and what you can do to prep will of course vary based on your lifestyle. But let’s go over some common examples of how you can prep for Mondays:
- Go through your emails and star or take note of anything of extreme importance. This allows you to mentally prepare for what will happen on Monday but without letting the fear of the unknown overwhelm you. This isn’t responding or handling emails just noting the important ones!
- Make a weekly to do list. I swear by this in general but seriously taking 5 minutes on Sunday to make a list of your whole weeks to do’s helps make the week feel less intimidating and allows you to feel prepared for it.
- Lay out your outfit for Monday- don’t overthink it but let yourself not have to make that decision when you alarm goes off Monday morning.
Step 2: Wrap up the weekend with something you love
I love this step and it has genuinely made a huge difference in my life.
Spending the evening on Sunday doing something you love – a hobby, a date, whatever you want it to be – is an amazing way to keep your mood up. And keep the Sunday scaries out.
None of us want the fear of the work week to hold us back from enjoying ourselves. So by planning to do something you love until Sunday ends (or at least it’s bedtime) helps you trick your mind into not having time to get the Sunday scaries.
Step 3: Set boundaries with work
Okay, okay we don’t want to hear this one because it can be awkward and rough.
But the reality is that the best thing you can do to keep work at work is to set boundaries.
I’m not going to go too much into this because honestly guys there is too much to talk about. I have a full guide that I will link where I go much further into depth about how to set work boundaries and how to leave work AT work.
So if you feel that your work life balance and work boundaries are impacting your Sunday scaries then I highly recommend reading this next: How To Keep Work Stress At Work: Tips for not taking work stress home!
Step 4: Treat yourself a bit
Just because treats are one of my favorite ways to boost your mood and remind yourself that there are always little good things in life.
But here’s another place where it depends on you-
For some people the treat yourself step is best to happen during the Sunday scaries but for others it’s better to plan it for Monday before work so you have something to keep you looking forward to Monday morning!
Step 5: Get some sleep
Doom scrolling or watching a full season of whatever show you are hooked on isn’t going to help. Unfortunately! Don’t punish yourself for your emotions by being even more tired on Monday morning.
So put your phone down and try to get a full 8 hours of sleep. Set yourself up for a better week and stop worrying about things that you can’t currently control.
Step 6: Plan something fun for Monday evening
The final step I love (and you probably see a trend of looking forward to things here) is to plan something fun for Monday evening.
This can be a happy hour after work with friends, making your favorite dinner at home or treating yourself to a nice glass of wine. Just something that will help the idea of working on Monday feel less depressing!!
Korra-Shay
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