How To Prevent the Sunday Scaries

30 Aug How To Prevent the Sunday Scaries

It’s subtle at first. You’re having a wonderful time, hanging out with family or friends, doing something you enjoy, laughing and feeling great. Then a nagging thought starts to slowly creep into your mind: Tomorrow is Monday. Monday means going back to work. Within a short time, the good feelings are diminished, replaced instead by feelings of apathy, dread, stress or anxiety. 

The Sunday Scaries are real. Many people have them and no one likes them. It’s a rotten way to end a perfectly good weekend and it takes away from the joy of living in your non-work hours. 

Thankfully, there are things you can do to keep the Sunday Scaries from ruining your weekend (especially if you’re a person who starts feeling the scaries creep in on Saturday). 

Here’s how to prevent, or at least decrease, the hold the Sunday Scaries can have on your life. 

• Make a to-do list on Friday. One of the best ways to set yourself up for success is to take a moment on Friday afternoon and list all the things you didn’t accomplish that week. This isn’t a sign of failure; it’s a good reminder of where your priorities should be when Monday morning comes. If you walk in with a clear list of what needs to be done first, second, third, etc, you’ll know exactly how your day will start. It’s also a great way to handle the dreaded middle of the night, bolt up from a sound sleep fear of forgetting to handle a task. Just write them down before leaving work on Friday and know that it’ll be handled in the week ahead. 

• Reclaim the concept of Sunday Funday. A lot of people save errands for the weekend. It makes sense: you’re not trying to cram 50 extra items into a busy work week while shuttling around. But that also means you’re spending your weekends, and Sundays in particular, handling the minutiae of your life instead of enjoying it. Try to find a way to get some of the household chores, shopping, meal prep, laundry, etc., done during the week, to free up your weekends for FUN. Remember fun? It can be rejuvenating and allow you to go back to work on Monday knowing everything at home has been done. A freed up Sunday means you can enjoy your time without having to step away to handle responsibilities. 

• Have something fun to look forward to on Monday. No one likes Mondays, unless you’re a large cat who’s been promised lasagna, and even then that’s a stretch. But if you give yourself something fun to do on Monday, that can help alleviate going into the day with dread. Try to meet a friend for dinner or a fun activity after work. Maybe a Monday evening walk when the weather’s nice could be a great new tradition. Is there a class you’ve always wanted to take? Sign up for the one on Monday night. Having something positive and energizing to attend helps start your week off on the right foot and helps make the day not so awful. 

• Listen to yourself. If you feel stress coming on, find ways to handle it that are productive and calming. Some people find journaling is a great way to take their fears and concerns and get them out of their heads by putting them on paper, making those obstacles clear and tangible and therefore something that can be solved. Others like to mediate and calm their minds, letting stray thoughts sit for just a moment before returning to a blank space. Still others like to take up running as a way to boost endorphins and work out stress. Resorting to a bubble bath is always an option, if you’d like. However you practice self-care, give yourself a big dose of it if the scaries try to infiltrate your weekend. 

• Think about why you’re feeling this way. If after making Sunday a special work-and-chore-free-zone you’re still feeling apprehensive about Monday morning, spend a little time thinking about what’s at the root cause. Is it because you don’t feel like you have enough time to do everything you want to do? Is it a personal conflict with a coworker? Try to determine why you’re dreading going to work on Monday and then try to think through possible solutions to the issues that will help alleviate the stress and give you some peace back into your life. 

Sunday is half of your weekend and should not be wasted by feeling crummy or stressed out. Determine the root cause of the bad feelings and see what you can do to make them go away. You can reclaim your Sundays and enjoy them! 

If the underlying cause of your Sunday Scaries is work, it might be time to make a change. Thankfully, LeadingEdge Personnel can help! Our recruiters can point you to open positions we’re looking to fill and can help you find a job that will utilize your background and expertise. They know what our clients are looking for and can help you find a great new opportunity — you just have to give us a call to get started!