Calming Down the Sunday Night Scaries

Trying to enjoy your Sunday evening but finding that knot in your stomach won't go away? You're not alone.

That creeping anxiety that hits as the weekend winds down is so common it has a name - the "Sunday Night Scaries." According to research, roughly 80% of professionals experience this weekly dread, with even higher percentages among younger generations.

As a career coach, I see this pattern frequently, and I want to share some practical strategies to help you reclaim your Sunday evenings and start your week from a position of strength rather than stress.

🚨Why We Feel This Way🚨

The Sunday Scaries aren't just in your head. They can stem from several underlying causes: 

🔺 Declining mental health due to overwork

🔺Lingering effects of toxic work culture

🔺Feeling unprepared for upcoming tasks

🔺Struggling with impostor syndrome

🔺Even people who genuinely enjoy their jobs can experience this weekly anxiety!

☀️Practical Steps to Take Back Your Sundays☀️

💡Create a Sunday wind-down ritual - Incorporate mindfulness practices into your Sunday routine, whether that's enjoying a cup of tea in silence, spending time in nature, or carving out dedicated time for meditation. Making these moments special can transform how you experience the end of your weekend.

💡Plan something for Monday to look forward to - Schedule a coffee with a colleague you enjoy, pick up your favorite lunch, or queue up a podcast you love for your commute.

💡Brain dump before bed - Clear racing thoughts by doing a "brain dump" of everything on your mind. Get those swirling thoughts onto paper so they're not keeping you awake.

💡Reframe the thoughts - Be mindful of negative thoughts and replace them with positive, encouraging statements. Instead of "I don't want to go to work tomorrow," try "I can handle this" or "This is nothing new, I'll be okay".

💡Get prepared, but with boundaries - Take some time to organize your week ahead. Knowing what's coming can reduce stress about the unknown, but limit this to 20 minutes max so it doesn't consume your evening.

💡Evaluate the bigger picture - If your Sunday anxiety is severe or persists despite these strategies, it might be a signal that something in your work life needs adjustment. Let's talk about this during our next coaching session.

Remember, feeling anxious on Sunday doesn't mean you're failing or that you made poor career choices. It's an incredibly common experience that we can work through together.

We are here to help you build a career that energizes rather than depletes you. If your Sunday Scaries are particularly troublesome, let's schedule some time to dig deeper and develop personalized strategies.

Here's to making Sundays peaceful again.🙏🙏🙏🙏