Does Sunday Scare You?

What are Sunday Scaries?

The Sunday Scaries (or Sunday blues as they’re sometimes called) are feelings of hysteria or dread that a lot of folks experience the day before heading back to figure after the weekend.

Even if we don’t have a very stressful work week arising, this sense can become a conditional reflex.

That’s because if we often equate work with stress, our brains begin to spot work thoughts as a perceived threat. In time, this association can trigger anticipatory anxiety, once we experience increased anxiety and stress about an occasion that will happen in the future.

Anticipatory anxiety triggers the body’s fight or flight response: when we’re during this mode, adrenaline and cortisol flood the system and that we begin to experience a true stress reaction to a threat that's only perceived.

Aside from that chain of events, we can also experience the Sunday Scaries if we feel as if we haven’t maxed out the weekend enough to justify another week of diligence. Maybe we didn’t relax the maximum amount as we had hoped, or we expect we could’ve had more fun or been more productive. or even procrastinate an excessive amount, and now we've to fit last week’s chores into this week’s schedule. As time ticks away on the weekend, we'd think thoughts like this more frequently — and know the fear which will come alongside them.

So how might we escape this weekly cycle? Mindfulness and meditation can help us reset our approach to the upcoming week with an increased sense of acceptance and calm.

How meditation can help with the Sunday Scaries?

If fixating on the week ahead is the catalyst for a case of the Sunday Scaries, we will address the practice of meditation to assist us to focus less on the longer term and more on the here and now.

Here’s how: once we step away from the worrying mind, as we learn to try to, once we practice meditation, we may start to feel a reprieve from any anticipatory anxiety related to the upcoming week of labour. Rather than fixating on the unknowns, what-ifs, and to-dos, we will turn our attention to the people, things, and situations around us within the times. On a Sunday, this might appear as if embracing downtime without judgment, savouring each bite and smell of a night meal at a table, or making time to catch up with friends and family without distractions.

Of course, understanding the way to be fully present is usually easier said than done — especially when our fight or flight mode is triggered and ruminating thoughts, fears, and storylines intensify. But the more we meditate, the more we train the mind to remain within the moment. So when we’re going about our Sunday and therefore the “scariest” kick in, we are then equipped to acknowledge worrying thoughts and feelings clearly and calmly, without getting trapped in them. We see what the mind is doing, and that we step far away from those thoughts — and this awareness we bring back the instant is mindfulness. We learn to not be so lost in thought — so lasered in on the looming workday — and are ready to allow ourselves to enjoy whatever time we've left of our day off.

Here are 4 Tips that could play an important part in getting over Sunday Scaries

1. Stay Consistent

When it comes time for the weekend, many look forward to staying up late and sleeping in. However, this can actually distress us more than it helps us unwind.

Over the weekend, try to focus on keeping your schedule fairly consistent with the workweek, as this will help to ensure your circadian sleep-wake cycle remains regular and robust. An example of this would include waking up around the same time, going to bed at the same time and not sleeping in late in an effort to chase sleep.

This doesn’t mean you must start the day at the same pace you do during the workweek, but rather plan to have a relaxing, slow-moving start to the morning — maybe with coffee, your favourite morning show, a good book and a blanket on the couch.

2. Create a Plan

No one wants to think about the workweek during the weekend. However, many times, it’s unavoidable. Spacing out the tasks that need to be completed throughout the weekend could help reduce the amount of stress you must face on Sunday.

When we leave anxiety-provoking tasks or ones that we dislike for Sunday, we continue to create a connection between Sunday and negative experiences.

Having a plan for your week before it starts, such as meals, workouts and goals, will help you better enjoy the weekend. And instead of pushing stressors and major tasks for Sunday, scheduling time to do them on Saturday could help reduce the anxiety you feel on Sunday.

3. Add an Activity

If you have taken care of your key tasks, then plan an activity on Sunday evening that is fun and distracting. It could help you overcome the anxiety associated with the start of the week by giving you something to think about other than your to-do list or the stress of the coming week.

Personally, I know doing this has helped me many times. Simply hanging out with a few friends or doing something I enjoy on Sunday night can help me get my mind off the upcoming week and allow me to relax.

4. Remember to Enjoy your Weekend

Weekend tasks may never go away. However, we can change the way we feel about them through simple adjustments.

If it makes sense to try to get ahead with a few of your workweek tasks on Sunday, find a way to take on those tasks in a way you find enjoyable. Maybe in your pyjamas with your favourite breakfast meal while listening to music, or even a new cool coffee shop you have been eager to try out. Bringing pleasure to a non-pleasurable activity can be a critical part of changing your Sunday experience.

Key takeaways:

• The Sunday Scaries can trigger our fight or flight response
• Mindful Sunday routines can help curb feelings of anxiety