The Sunday Scaries are feelings of anxiety or dread that occur before going back to work on Monday. This commonly is caused by a micromanaging boss, nosy coworkers, or a lack of work-life balance.
You might experience the Sunday Scaries if you feel you did not productively use your time over the weekend. Maybe you did not have as much fun as you would have liked to make up for another challenging work week. Or, perhaps the chores you did not finish over the weekend now must be completed during the week.
As a result, your Sunday night thoughts might focus on worrying about what issues the work week may bring. This can increase your stress level and take away your happiness. It also can lead to burnout.
Fortunately, you can take steps to eliminate the Sunday Scaries. The following ideas can help.
Implement these tips to eliminate the Sunday Scaries.
Monitor Your Self-Talk
Pay attention to how you speak to yourself. This impacts your physical and mental health and stress level.
Consistently talking in a negative manner about work impacts how you view your job. When you start believing the negativity, you think everything about your job is negative.
Most likely, there are positive aspects of your job. Therefore, focus on what you like rather than what you dislike.
When you experience negative self-talk about work, replace it with positive self-talk. For instance, rather than stressing about your long commute, remind yourself you get to listen to your favorite podcast during this time.
Focusing on positive self-talk helps emphasize the good about your job. It also reduces the Sunday Scaries.
Meditate
Regularly practice meditation. This helps you live in the moment rather than focus on the past or future.
The Sunday Scaries often result from the fear of missing out (FOMO). This may involve feeling like you would be having more fun engaging in other activities rather than what you are doing.
Practicing meditation helps you stay mentally present. Because you are focused on what is happening right now, your mind cannot focus on what might be happening elsewhere.
Even 5 or 10 minutes of meditation each day can help you tackle work challenges. When your mind wanders, you can bring it back to what is happening in the present moment. This reduces the stress involved with the Sunday Scaries.
The more you meditate, the more resilient you become. You learn to notice your thoughts and let go of the unproductive ones.
Set an Intention
Find a time on Sunday night to create an intention for the week ahead. This can help you more effectively navigate workplace stressors.
Choosing to act a certain way involves making a commitment to yourself for your higher good. The clearer your intention, the more likely it will happen. The experience can benefit your life.
Use supportive language when you state your intention. For instance, “I want to listen to others more this week.” Or, “My goal for this week is to take feedback less personally.” This helps the Sunday Scaries go away.
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