Tips For A Sunday Self-Care Routine When You Have The Sunday Scaries
Ever have that feeling hit you on a Sunday afternoon—it’s the feeling of “Crap, where did the weekend go? I feel like I’ve accomplished nothing.”
Friends, the Sunday scaries are REAL. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Whether you’re in school or in a full-time job, Sunday scaries are real and ever-present on Sundays (and sometimes Saturdays, too) where you panic on the following week.
I’ve definitely been there, and honestly, almost every week. But don’t fret because you can prevent and steer those Sunday scaries away.
Relax and enjoy your day.
I know—the one thing that I hate to hear when I’m stressed is “to relax.” When someone tells me to relax, I tense up and basically just do the opposite of what they’re telling me to do, which is to relax. But take it from me: you can take this day to relax. You have one more day. You don’t have to “do all the things” and have a productive Sunday. Would you rather spend your last day of the too-short weekend worrying and stressing about the next week? Or would you rather take this day to sit back and relax and enjoy your favorite things? If your productive Sunday includes sitting on your couch, then that’s productive for you. Maybe for you, this means meditating to relax. Maybe for you, this means sitting in front of the TV and watching a comfort show for a few hours. Maybe for you, this means reading. (Hint, I just included two of the things I love to do on Sundays.)
Make lists.
Call Rory Gilmore and invite her to the list party—because lists are fun. Okay, maybe not too much fun. But when you feel yourself start to panic on Sundays, don’t stress yourself out too much and make lists instead. Make your to-do list for work (although I highly recommend you do this on the previous Friday afternoon), make your to-do list for things you need to do this week. Make a to-do list for fun things you want to get done this week. And for the fun of it, make a list of everything you got done the previous week. Make your grocery list. Honestly, this can take up an hour out of your time and you can do it while you’re watching your favorite show.
Watch your comfort show.
Go ahead and do it. You don’t need to be productive and “do all the things” on Sunday to prepare your week. You don’t need to meal prep. You don’t need to plan your workouts. If you want to spend all day on the couch watching your comfort show, go ahead and do it. You’re preparing your soul for the week ahead. Give yourself this relaxing time.
Don’t check your work or school email.
I kid you not, I am thinking about deleting the email app on my phone. Or at least logging out of my account. I get it, maybe you have urgent emails that you need to get to, but honestly, you don’t. Those emails can wait until Monday. If you really need to work on Sunday because you know you’re going to be OOO this week, then yeah, that’s a legitimate excuse. But if you’re checking your work or school email just to check it, then I warn you, don’t. It will just stress you out. Take this tip as a sign to not check your email. (And continue reading this blog post, duh.)
Plan something fun for your Sunday.
And hear me out … if your “fun thing” for Sunday includes watching your comfort show from bed, then by all means, DO THAT. However, I found that sometimes, only sometimes, planning one fun thing to do on Sunday helps alleviate the Sunday scaries. It takes your mind off the fact that you have to wake up the next morning at 6 a.m. and get ready for work.
Do a fun workout.
Emphasis on the fun (Because if a workout isn’t bringing you joy, then don’t do it?). Try a new dance workout to your favorite song, try a Pilates or barre workout, or lay on the floor and try some new yoga moves (to a cool video on YouTube). Get your body moving and create some endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.
Schedule time with friends.
Text your bestie and plan to meet somewhere on Sunday. Go to a movie, go ice skating, go shopping … anything. Explore a part of your town and try something new like a restaurant or shop or any type of event. Maybe you’re an extrovert and need social time with friends to cope with anxiety and the Sunday scaries. Even if you’re not an extrovert, that social time can help you soothe those Sunday scaries.
What are things that you do to avoid and prevent the Sunday scaries? What are some healthy coping mechanisms that you have? Leave them in the comments below! I’d love to hear them.