Nowadays, we all have felt at some moment or another, that anxious and uncertain feeling that comes right before starting a new week, or project. In a way, the anticipation of what is yet to come makes every moment a miserable one.
The heavy breathing, the pain in the stomach, the overwhelmedness, the inability to think about anything else… No matter the age, but especially our generation of young adults, we all are very familiar with feeling anxious… way more than we would want to. And even though it is not the greatest for our health, it keeps happening, and for some… every Sunday.
Let’s get everything clear, what are Sunday scaries, and why are they called that way? And, well… It is not like a clinical diagnosis or a specific phobia. It’s more like a fun way to name the result of a modern-era problem. It is Sunday evening and we feel the weight of the world building up on our shoulders.
We start thinking about all the things we didn’t do over the weekend and all the things we need to face the next day. The next weekend looks very far, so we are tired already and the new week hasn’t begun yet. We start feeling very anxious, breathing heavily into worrying thoughts, and the uneasiness goes on. And, that’s how half of your Sunday went from the day to recharge to the day you set up for battle feeling already defeated.
But hey, although this might be a common problem, it’s not healthy for anyone. And the good news is that this monster can be tamed. The question now is how to do it.
How to beat them?
First of all, be nice to yourself, you are doing just fine, and that’s great. A big part of this compound of Sunday emotions is guilt, feeling bad for what you didn’t do, even if what was on your list was only to rest. If there’s dissatisfaction with what you accomplished on the weekend, remember to be compassionate with the person who helps you do everything and takes care of you… yourself.
I know that sometimes this is easier said than done, but practicing a shift in perspective is a healthy way to learn to be nicer to yourself. It is about acknowledging what you didn’t have the time to do but focusing on what you did do.
Something that might help too is for you to get to the bottom of it. Be a detective, try to be objective without judging. Getting to the cause of your Sunday evening feeling can help you find solutions for it. And, yes, we know it is about what is coming next, but what exactly about that gives you this uneasy feeling?
It might be the thought of getting to an office, or the pile of work that may be waiting at your desk, for some others, it might be the thought of having less time for themselves and what they actually want to do. And all of those reasons are completely valid, and knowing it is being a step closer to fixing it.
You might start working from home so you don’t have to go to the office, or maybe you rearrange your schedule so the pile of work is a smaller one, or you might even change career paths so the work you do is one where you do things that inspire you.
And, sometimes, the anxiousness won’t go away getting some distraction, and the best way to deal with it is to think about what you can do, and do it.
And how come? Well…this is about listing and categorizing. Take a piece of paper and start writing. Prioritize the things you need to get done, look for ones that can wait, and others that could be done by someone else.
That way, your next week can seem less overwhelming, since you know now how to proceed with the tasks you already have in hand.
Remember that the best thing you can do to take care of yourself when you are feeling like you have too much on your plate is to ask for help.
This leads us to our final tip on how to beat the anxious Sunday monster. Go to therapy, we all need to get a check sometimes. It is responsible to take care of your mental health as much as your physical one. And if Sunday scaries are looking more like Sunday panic, then it is key to talk to a professional about it. It will help you in ways that you might not expect it, and I assure you, it is always worth it.
Anxiety, stress, depression, and so on… They are more common every day, but they don’t have to rule your life, you can do something about it. Sundays were made for resting and cooling down, not for being miserable for something that is not yet happening, so what are you waiting for to fight and defeat the Sunday monster?
