a realistic approach to beating the sunday scaries for good

written in collaboration with my beautiful friend Morgan, @bun_undone

Let’s face it: the “Sunday scaries” is just a fancy alliteration for anxiety.

Every Sunday after dinner, a wave of anxiety hits … and it hits me hard. Truthfully, I don’t hate Mondays – probably because I thrive from routine. But, I’d be lying if I didn’t tell y’all that a pit in my stomach and knot in my chest inevitably begin to form on most Sunday afternoons.

Just thinking about my never-ending to-do list that must be tackled starting the next morning makes even a Netflix binge of The Office sound unappealing. And if you work a typical 9-5 job like I do, this upcoming post-holiday Monday (Jan. 6, 2020) has some serious stress behind it.

With these thoughts lingering as the week came to a close, my good friend, fitness and self-care guru, Morgan, reached out to me with the idea of collaborating on this topic. We put our heads together to come up with a go-to list of tips to help you overcome a dose of the Sunday scaries.

So, as Sunday evening approaches, we encourage you to try to implement at least one of these practices to help you get through the feelings of anxiety and set you up for a productive week ahead!

1. Take time to breathe + reset. When those feelings of doom begin to creep in, it’s important to feel it … and then allow yourself to step away from the stressful environment and practice some deep breathing.

After you calm your mind and re-center, try to define what exactly is making you feel this way. Is it a Monday morning meeting at work? Is it all of the laundry you still need to do? Whatever it may be, talk it out with someone, write down what you need to do to alleviate some feelings of pressure, and go from there. And remember – take things one at a time.

2. Disconnect. Both Morgan and I agree that social media and overall screen time can be all-consuming. Sometimes, simply seeing others’ productivity or picture-perfect feeds makes you feel like you’re not doing enough. It’s also difficult to wind down in the evenings when that blue light is beaming just inches from your face.

Some ideas to successfully disconnect? We highly recommend setting an alarm to put your phone down at a certain time, or if you have an iPhone, just turn it to the Do Not Disturb setting so your notifications don’t pop up on your lock screen (I personally try to do this by 8PM most Sunday + week nights!). Reading or journaling during this time vs. scrolling good ‘ol Instagram is another way to disconnect from technology and connect to yourself before bed.

The Do Not Disturb feature on the iPhone is the little moon-shaped icon!

3. Practice self-care. What makes you feel good? Do more of that.

Self-care is the art of taking time for yourself, to do what feels good for you and your body. Self-care can consist of mindfulness practices, such as meditation, an evening walk, a hot cup of herbal tea, or an episode of a feel-good show (New Girl is my go-to!).

If you’re stressing about all of the tasks on your to-do list, we promise a self-care practice (or two) won’t push those back. Once you prioritize self-care, you’ll feel more relaxed, recharged, and refocused to tackle your responsibilites. Giving back to yourself helps you give back to others – your week ahead will benefit from this.

Insider tip: Morgan is launching her first-ever e-book, Self-Care Society, so soon! Check out some sneak peeks over at @selfcaresociety_.

4. Give yourself more time. Come Monday morning, hitting snooze may seem like a good idea, but we promise you, setting your alarm just 15 minutes earlier makes a huge difference and will help to set a positive tone for the day.

Take this a step further and resist the temptation to check your phone the second you wake up. Instead, take that time to meditate, stretch, exercise, and get into your morning routine (here’s mine!).

Brittany Lemire Photography

Focus on YOU. Make your coffee or smoothie (you know I love my mood-balancing green smoothies!), and make your bed. Start the week with your own thoughts without worrying about what else is happening outside your world … Well, until you have to, that is 🙂

5. Define something to look forward to. While we don’t dislike Mondays, the day is infamous for being at the bottom of the favorites list. But, why not try to see the good in it?

Plan something you can look forward to – whether it’s starting your week with your favorite workout (I prefer a quick strength circuit!), a new breakfast recipe you’re excited to make, or even post-work plans with friends. Because who says Monday’s can’t be fun? With some practice, you may genuinely start to look forward to your Monday-morning routine, further easing the pain of Sunday nights.

6. Remind yourself of your inner strength. How many Sundays have you felt this way, and then how many Mondays + weeks have you then proceeded to CRUSH? You’ve been here before, you’ve felt this way and you’ve succeeded so many times, in so many ways. Don’t let your anxiety tell you otherwise!

Sundays don’t have to be scary full of anxiety. And if they are, we’re here to help you make them a little more bearable.

Cheers to a productive week!

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xx,

Lisa + Morgan