5 Ways to Keep the Sunday Scaries from Ruining Your Monday
Never fear, we’ve come up with five ways to keep the Sunday Scaries from ruining your Monday.
What is the difference between the cheerful greeting “Happy Friday” and “Happy Monday?” Happy Friday is genuinely celebratory and widely shared; it brings people joy and relief as the weekend approaches. On the other hand, “Happy Monday” is ironic and meant to counteract negativity. We have a whole week ahead of us; let’s make the best of it. Monday is what we lose sleep over on Sunday night. Monday is what drives the Sunday Scaries. Never fear, we’ve come up with five ways to keep the Sunday Scaries from ruining your Monday.
The Sunday Scaries are that creeping sense of dread that settles in before heading back to work, school, or other responsibilities. The scaries can begin on Sunday morning and put a strain on the entire day that is supposed to be restful, relaxing, and preparation for the week ahead. Anticipatory anxiety can also impact Monday’s productivity. For those healing from a mental health disorder or in recovery from a substance use disorder, anxiety, lack of sleep, and that sinking feeling can be hazardous. Add rain, loneliness, a change of season, or an empty schedule, and Sundays can hijack your best intentions for the work week.
5 Ways to Keep the Sunday Scaries from Ruining Your Monday
A LinkedIn survey reveals that 80% of Americans experience anxiety on Sunday afternoons, with looming tasks reminding them that Monday is just a sleep away. According to a study by the Sleep Foundation, 79% of people report struggling more to fall asleep on Sunday nights than on any other night. Here is how the Sunday Scaries affect Monday’s productivity and how to counteract their adverse effects.
1. Sleep Disruption
According to the World Health Organization, sleep is one of three primary components of wellbeing (along with exercise and social interaction). Lack of sleep, due to anxiety, impacts cognitive function, mood, attention, and memory. What to do for the best sleep hygiene?
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Keep regular sleep hours.
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Create a restful sleep environment.
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Exercise regularly.
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Do not overindulge in food, drugs, or alcohol, especially on Sunday night.
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Have a comfortable/designated place to sleep.
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Limit caffeine, do not smoke.
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If nothing works, get up and do something relaxing (drink herbal tea, shoulder rolls, sit quietly and focus on your breathing).
2. Mental Fatigue and Mood
If you go into the week already stressed, fatigued, and grumpy, you will have less mental acuity for tasks, creative thinking, decision-making, and focus. Add a Sunday walk with your phone tucked away, rain or shine. Why?
- Walking decreases depression and feelings of hopelessness. It also allows us to connect with nature and ourselves, bringing a sense of wellbeing.
- Walking improves sleep quality.
- You experience joy in the moment (not thinking about tomorrow).
- Walking increases creativity, so you start the week with lots of ideas!
- Walking keeps you young and lowers the risk of early death.
- Science has found that consistent exercise can change the underlying structure of the brain and grow new brain cells.
3. Reduced Motivation and Increased Dread
When you view Monday as a burden, you might procrastinate or psychologically check out altogether. Sundays are supposed to be a day of rest. If they are stressful, it makes the week more difficult. What to do?
- Make a plan for Sunday afternoon.
- Start a walking group, book club, or family outing for Sunday afternoons.
- When you have a positive energizer to look forward to, it redirects anxiety and lengthens the weekend.
4. Poor Planning or a Fluid Schedule
Spend part of Sunday stressing instead of planning, and you probably won’t hit the ground running on Monday. Prepare for the week on Sunday, or better yet, before you leave work or school on Friday. How to prepare for Monday?
- Take a moment on Friday afternoon or Sunday to jot down a few important things to accomplish during the week.
- Spread the tasks out over the week to lessen the load on Monday.
- Keeping a journal is an effective tool for charting progress in recovery, defining stressors, and reliving the best parts of the weekend.
5. Mindfulness and Work-Life Boundary Issues
If you can’t (or won’t) disconnect from outside obligations during the weekend (emails, phone calls, rumination), your brain and body do not get the recovery time they need. Rest gives your brain space to reset stress responses and restore mental clarity. Who wants to “live in the moment” when your stomach is tied in knots? Here is how to practice mindfulness:
- Mindfulness focuses attention on the present, rather than on what will happen tomorrow, thereby counteracting rumination, worry, and the Sunday Scaries.
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The ability to quiet the mind with mindfulness meditation can contribute to emotional regulation and stress coping.
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Mindfulness meditation can influence how we experience external stress and how we perceive it internally.
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It contributes to an individual’s overall resiliency.
- For more on mindfulness, click the link below:
Mindfulness & Manageable Stress
Managing Monday with Aplomb
The end of the weekend and the anticipation of the coming week trigger the Sunday Scaries. Try changing your mindset with positive thoughts. Instead of saying “I hate Monday,” try thinking “I can do this!” Treat yourself to a Monday bonus, such as a specialty coffee on the way to work or a new plant for your desk. The more you expect something good to happen, the more often your brain sees the outcome as positive and makes it so. The Sunday Scaries don’t have to set the tone for your week. By planning, protecting your rest, setting healthy boundaries, and finding moments of calm, you can start Monday grounded instead of anxious.
If you or a loved one is struggling with a mental health condition, addiction, or eating disorders, don’t wait to change your life – click the link and get in touch today. Our admissions specialists are available 24/7 to talk, answer questions, or schedule your admission to treatment.
