Beating the Sunday Scaries

The Sunday Scaries are feelings of anxiety that routinely happen on Sundays before heading back to work or school after a weekend off. These “scaries” or feelings of doom tend to start in the late afternoon and bleed into the evening. However, for some of us, these feelings can start as soon as you wake up. 

As time passes on your Sunday afternoon, you’ll probably notice some anxiety symptoms building up. These symptoms can include but are not limited to:

• Upset stomach

• Restlessness

• Irritability

• A vague sense of unease

• A racing heartbeat 

• Sweating  

• Difficulty breathing 

• Trembling  

• Headache 

But no matter how you are feeling, here are some of our favorite ways to help beat the Sunday Scaries.

Shift your perspective

Try to be aware of the thoughts running through your head. Try to reframe your negative thoughts surrounding the upcoming school week. For example, instead of thinking “I don’t want to go to school tomorrow,” try replacing the thought with a positive statement, like “I can do this.” How we speak to ourselves has a powerful impact on our mental and physical health. If we experience constant negative self-talk about school, we begin to believe it. 

Try to narrow down the source of your anxiety

If possible, try to trace your feelings to a single cause. By narrowing down the cause you can find better ways to help manage your feelings. If your homework is the cause of your worries and if you have a support system, ask them to pitch in and help you with your homework. Try to tackle your responsibilities as a group to help alleviate your anxieties. 

Create a checklist to tackle your anxiety 

If your anxiety centers around a big project that needs to be completed, it won’t go away until they have been completed. You can take a little bit of time to create an outline, checklist, or jot down a plan. Once you have completed your plan, set the list aside somewhere safe. If anxiety pops back up, remind yourself you’ve done everything you can and enjoy the moment you’re in. 

Be kind to yourself

You may have had plans to have a productive weekend, but instead, you were so exhausted from the week. As a result, you slept in and watched TV and stayed on your phone all day. Once Sunday comes around, you beat yourself up for your lack of productivity and cram all your homework into one day. Try to focus on what you did versus what you didn’t do. Our thoughts and feelings don’t need to control our moods or behavior. Try to use kinder words to help train your brain to stop automatically stressing. 

Try meditations to beat the Sunday Scaries 

Try to do Sunday evening meditations. Find a safe space, sit comfortably, and feel the floor beneath you. Engage all your senses, take several long breaths, and visualize a warm light. Based on your needs, try to add a mantra to this meditation. These practices will help ground yourself in the present moment and help shed any fear or anxiety for your upcoming school week. 

Get your sleep

Adequate sleep may be a big factor in helping you cope with anxiety. Try to build a sleep routine where you go to sleep at the same time every day, even on the weekends. Try to incorporate a relaxing bedtime routine which can include a calming bath and bedtime story, or set a screen time limit for 1 to 2 hours before bed to help wind down.

At the end of the day, there may not be an easy fix for the sense of dread you feel on Sundays and it might take some practice over time to overcome. Instead of letting this emotion overwhelm you, try to acknowledge it, accept that you might not be able to completely get rid of it, and find joy in the little things and small moments with your favorite hobbies and people.

Written by Jordan Adane, Candidate for Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling