How I Fight Off the Sunday Scaries
The Sunday scaries are real and have haunted my Sunday nights since I was "forgetting" homework due on Monday. Sunday is a weird day. Besides being solely for religious worship for a lot of people it is supposed to be relaxing and leisurely compared to Saturday. Sunday's are for all the chores, errands and other things you didn't want to do during the week or on Saturday. Sometimes they get done and sometimes they don't. So whether you feel this existential dread any time from Sunday morning to night, here are my tips on how to have a couple hours of relaxation on the least relaxing day of the weekend.
Stop the social media scroll.
This idea isn't original or a revelation but I find it makes a difference every time. During the week I like to set some limits on my social media consumption. I allow myself one long scroll through my favorites, usually Pinterest and Instagram, once or twice a day. Any more and my brain starts to go numb. My weekend brain likes to go crazy with more consumption to make up for the stringent weekday rules. Checking Instagram multiple times a day usually isn't worth my time. The less I scroll on the weekends the more relaxed I feel. Which is the whole point of the weekend, right? Also it makes you less likely to have a raging case of FOMO. Everyone had a more interesting, exotic and adventurous weekend or life then you. Does that make you excited for Monday? Nope. So should you worry about it? Also no.
Do something that makes you feel good.
As a book lover, I feel like I never have time to read. So I replaced some aimless social media scrolling time with reading and now I can finally finish some books! Other honorary mentions that work for me are doing a face mask while relaxing, stretching and meditating/trying not to think about anything. Since this is highly subjective make sure to pick something that actually works for you and not just the aspirational you.
Do something that will make your future self happy.
I was reading on my bed last Sunday evening, Florida by Lauren Groff if you need a book rec, but felt uneasy. When I looked around it was easy to see why. My room was a mess! Organizing and decluttering as self care I've already found makes me feel better. Barely able to see the floor and feel like I'm swimming in packaging does not. It is beautiful packaging sure but still! So for my current and future sanity, I sorted through the accumulated piles on Sunday. I unpacked some bags, put away and organized clothes and moved some boxes I need to return out of sight. Now when I wake up I won't just see clutter leading to an anxiety spiral and feeling frantic. Another boring task I like to do is make my lunch ahead of time. Since I also brew my own green tea to bring with me, no added sugar or weird flavors, thanks, it helps to get a jump start on this the night before.
Acknowledge your feelings and come up with a plan.
The Sunday night dread doesn't feel good but you can use it as motivation towards starting a new week more productively or from a different angle. Since Monday's are usually not that fun make a new routine or improve your old one to add bits of fun or spontaneity. Usually if I feel overwhelmed it is because I'm afraid of forgetting something I need to do. So I make a to do list to edit and check things off. The week feels much more manageable when I don't have all these tasks floating around in my head with different deadlines and priority levels. Clearing mental space for the week ahead usually makes me less stressed and ready to use my brain for more fun or creative tasks.
