Is there a secret sauce to ward off the Sunday Scaries?
The Sunday Scaries is a non-scientific, new age term to describe the creeping feelings of anxiety and dread that overwhelm a person ahead of the coming workweek.
What Causes A Case Of The Sunday Scaries?
The unwelcome Sunday Scaries might cause the hair on your arm to stand up for a few reasons.
Perhaps you are overworked and on the edge of workplace burnout, or you are simply maxed out from unfriendly coworkers or a micromanaging boss.
Whether it’s one of those reasons or an accumulation of many, the Sunday Scaries creep in just in time to make your workweek seem daunting and dreaded.
Here are 5 tips to sidestep the Sunday Scaries with ease and reclaim your weekend.
Stay Present
Your weekends should be time to unwind and disconnect from work. However, it’s all too easy to be overly consumed and lost in thought thinking about the workweek that passed, upcoming projects, and looming deadlines.
Though remote work has significant upside, the blurred lines between personal and professional life when working from home makes it challenging to disengage during your downtime.
Staying present is critical in overcoming the Sunday Scaries. Allowing yourself to think about Monday while it’s still Sunday is the equivalent of letting Monday win. Make it a practice to actively redirect any stressful work thoughts to help ward off the accompanying work anxiety.
Stay Active
Making plans, whether solo or in a group, can also help shake off the Sunday Scaries. This way, you can keep your mind and body preoccupied.
Flood your Sunday free time with activities whether that’s going for a walk to taking a fitness class, cleaning, attending an open house, journaling, or sitting in a coffee shop. All of these ideas may help redirect your mind from thinking about the upcoming workweek.
Contrary to how it may sound, planning activities does not have to be rigid. Instead, make soft plans that lack rigidity so you don’t have to feel obliged to adhere to a schedule. Aim for active yet stress-less weekends to disconnect from work.
Set Intentions
While you might not be able to quell lingering work anxiety on Sunday evenings just yet, focus on what you can control rather than what you cannot.
For example, set an intention to quit the anxiety-inducing, negative self talk or thoughts. If you’re going to think about work, then think about what you want to accomplish for the week, and frame that thought in positivity.
Pencil in time to meditate, center yourself, and protect your inner peace. Even if you cannot completely crush work thoughts, practicing mindfulness may help you manage those thoughts better.
Also be sure to reset, get proper rest, and make a very conscious effort to remove or calm thoughts of work pressures that may invade your mind.
Seek Change
If you suspect that the Sunday Scaries are masking a deeper issue of unhappiness with your job, perhaps start looking for new opportunities to help stop feeling stuck.
While rage applying may not always be optimal, carve out time to bookmark job search sites so you can easily peruse their latest job postings on a weekly basis. Analyze whether you’re in a dead-end job or not before considering job hopping.
Ask yourself, what differences in your work would alleviate the Sunday Scaries? Which elements of your job would you eliminate if you had the power to do so? If you could score a pay raise, would that make a difference in your attitude towards work? Are you seeking change or are you just seeking more?
Regardless, browsing for new jobs may mobilize your creative juices and pique your interests elsewhere. If you lack skills needed for a new career path, start upskilling as part of your exit strategy. Keep an open mind when considering shifting gears in your career.
Seek Support
Anticipation is common, but if you suspect the Sunday Scaries are outside your means of managing, consider seeking support from friends, family, a mentor, or mental health professionals.
Finding community, whether in-person or online, is also an effective way to connect with others who might share the same, or similar, feelings.
Exchanging experiences on how to achieve a work-life balance and tips on how to set boundaries can also help relieve or expel the Sunday Scaries over time.
EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE: This website is for general information purposes only. The views and opinions expressed in this blog article are solely the views of the author. The content on this website is not intended to be relied upon as advice and/or a recommendation. You should not rely upon the information on this website as a basis for making any financial, lifestyle, career, or other decision. Any action taken from the information on this website is strictly at your own risk. While efforts are made to keep this information up to date, NoWayKnowHow.com makes no guarantee, expressed or implied of the completeness, accuracy, availability, or reliability of the information, products, and services mentioned on this website. NoWayKnowHow.com will not be responsible for inaccurate or incomplete information contained on this website. NoWayKnowHow.com is not liable should this website be unavailable due to technical issues or deactivated for any reason whatsoever.