19 Effective Self Care Ideas to Beat the Sunday Scaries
Do you feel dread or anxiety come over you once Sunday night hits? You aren’t alone! This nervousness is often referred to as the “Sunday scaries”, and is a common feeling many people get as the weekend comes to a close. While the name may sound cute, the feeling is not quite as light and fun. If you have a bad case of the Sunday scaries, keep reading for 19 self care ideas to cope.
First off, rest assured that this feeling is very common. A LinkedIn study found that 80% of Americans experience anticipatory anxiety about the week ahead on Sundays. In fact, Millennials and Generation Z reported even higher anxiety with over 90% feeling anxious on Sunday. The most common things that people in this survey reported worrying about include:
- Their workload
- Balancing professional and personal to-do tasks
- Tasks they did not complete the week before
If you feel this weekly dread, you likely experience several signs of the Sunday scaries:
- Sense of unease and dread
- Stomach issues
- Easily irritable
- Restlessness
So what can you do to help mitigate some of that anxiety? A little bit of self care and TLC is a good start.
Let’s get into the 19 self care ideas to beat the Sunday scaries.
1. Unplug
We are constantly being bombarded with notifications on our phone which can cause anxiety and detract from your focus in the present. And especially for the many employees who are working from home, you likely can access your work email at any time of the day.
At some point on Sunday, unplug for anywhere from an hour to the whole day. Step away from texts, emails, social media, etc. and just spend time being present in the moment.
2. Yoga
Yoga has many mental and physical health benefits so it’s a perfect Sunday activity. Whether you go to a local yoga studio for a class or follow along with a free yoga video on YouTube, you can reap the benefits of yoga practice.
For more details on the mental and physical benefits of yoga, read more here.
3. Spend time outdoors
Spending time in nature has great mental health benefits including reducing stress and finding a sense of calm. You can do this by taking a leisurely walk, going for a bike ride, or even just relaxing on your porch.
To learn about the 5 important ways mental health and nature are connected, read more here.
4. Order takeout from your favorite restaurant
The weekend goes by so fast and it feels like there is never enough time to accomplish everything. Especially on Sunday night the preparations for the week, cooking dinner, etc. can leave little time for relaxing. To give yourself a little extra “me time” on Sunday, order takeout from your favorite restaurant.
5. Have a spa night
Treat yourself to some relaxation on Sunday night by having a spa night. Whether you are on your own or invite some friends over a spa night can be really calming.
6. Plan something special for Monday
If you often feel dread about the week ahead on Sunday night, try planning something special for Monday. This way, you actually have something to look forward to and focus on some of the positive things coming up for the week.
This can even be something small – Your favorite breakfast, plans with friends after work, etc. can all help make Monday feel a little less daunting.
7. Prep for the week
A major contributing factor causing the Sunday scaries can be feeling uneasy or uncertainty about the next week. To help mitigate some of that uncertainty, plan and prepare what you can. Making a to-do list, meal prepping, etc. are good ways to prepare for the week ahead.
8. Take something off your to-do list
While you’re prepping for the next week, it can help reduce your anxiety on Sunday to take something off of your to-do list. If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of tasks you need to get done, remove something that isn’t absolutely critical.
9. Meet up with friends
Sitting at home alone on Sunday night can give you more time to think about Monday and worry about what could go wrong. Distract your mind and connect with others by meeting up with friends. Chances are they might have Sunday scaries too and would love to hang out.
10. Binge your favorite TV show
Watching your favorite show can be really comforting, especially during times of anxiety. Snuggle up on the couch under a comfy blanket and binge your go-to TV show.
11. Go to bed early
Sometimes feeling anxious on Sunday night can lead you to procrastinate going to sleep so you can hang on to every minute of the weekend. However, staying up late will just leave you feeling tired will just make Monday even harder. Do your future self a favor and head to bed early on Sunday.
12. Tone down your Saturday night
Drinking and going all out on Saturday night can leave you feeling tired and hungover the next day. Feeling physical or mentally unwell from the night before will only add to your Sunday scaries. Try toning down your Saturday night so you feel refreshed the next day.
13. Maintain your daily routine on the weekend
You likely have a regular daily routine that you follow during the week when you have to get up for work but a lot of times that routine falls apart on the weekends when you can sleep in and relax. However, that makes getting back into your routine on Monday that much harder.
Try to maintain your daily routine on the weekend. At the very least, try to not let your sleep schedule get too out of whack.
14. Make a list of everything you accomplished last week
When you are worried abut the week ahead, a lot of doubt and overwhelm can creep in. Rather than thinking about “What if I don’t get everything done?”, think about everything that you accomplished last week. Use this list to show yourself how capable you are – you’ve got this!
15. Journal
Journaling is a great tool to process your emotions and reflect on your day. Set aside some time on Sunday to journal.
To learn how to start a journal, read more here.
16. Get in touch with your spiritual side
No matter what your religious beliefs are, it can help to take some time to get in touch with your spiritual side. Activities to do that might include going to church, meditating, prayer, yoga, etc.
17. Organize your home
Having a messy and unorganized living space really adds to the stress and anxiety you feel. Give yourself one less thing to worry about taking care of during the week by organizing your home on Sunday.
18. Make your Fridays productive
It can be really easy to take Friday easy and push off some of your to-do items to Monday. In the moment, it feels great…but then on Sunday night you are left worrying about everything you put off.
To help alleviate this, make a good effort to be productive on Fridays so your Mondays are less overwhelming.
19. Keep Monday mornings light
It can feel daunting to have a lot of important items on your to-do list or critical meetings scheduled for first thing Monday morning.
While not always avoidable, it can help to reduce Sunday scaries by keeping your Monday mornings light so you can ease into the week. This will also give you time on Monday to collect your thoughts and do whatever you need to do to feel prepared.
Those are the 19 self care ideas to beat the Sunday scaries.
Experiencing the Sunday scaries can really put a damper on your weekend as you feel the impending dread of the week. While someone may suggest you find a new job that does not cause as much anxiety, however we all know that’s not always an option.
If you hate your job but can’t quit, read this post to learn how to cope.
If you are feeling anxious about the week ahead, use the self care ideas in this post to help relieve some of that dread.
Comment below with your favorite self care activity to help manage Sunday anxiety.
