Sunday Scaries

This week I'm talking about something so many of you have mentioned in emails and messages, that Sunday evening anxiety that seems to arrive like clockwork.
Why does the body react to a calendar change as if it’s a threat?
Why can Sunday feel tense even after a lovely weekend?

Transcript

Speaker 0:00

Hi folks. Quick one from me today'cause it's Friday. As always this is a shorter episode, a little teaser if you like, for the full episode I made on Patreon a month ago. And it's all about something that affects a huge number of people. And that's the Sunday scaries. That odd emotional fog that starts creeping in around late afternoon or early evening. Often just as you're trying to relax. Maybe you've had a lovely weekend. Maybe it's been restful or productive. Doesn't seem to matter. The feeling still shows up. It's a sort of anticipatory anxiety, the discomfort we feel when we are thinking in the background about something in the future, but our nervous system reacts as if it's happening now. So you might find your chest tightens a bit, or you feel a bit agitated, or you're suddenly very aware that time is slipping away. That's the Sunday dread. So what's going on there? Well, in simple terms, it's your body reacting to a pattern. Week after week, if Monday's stressful or even just filled with uncertainty or disappointment, something negative. Your brain starts to associate Sunday evening with what's coming. It's classic conditioning really. We talk about Pavlov's dogs a fair old bit in psychology. You ring a bell, you give a dog some food. The sound of the bell makes them salivate eventually. Well, for many of us. It's the Antiques Roadshow that does that, or the sound of the washing machine on a Sunday evening. That's our bell. And the dread? That's our version of the salivation. And it's important you know that you're not broken for feeling this. You're not lazy or weak, or you're doing life wrong. You are responding to something that feels like a threat, even if it's just an inbox and a to-do list. Now, there's no one size fits all to sort this, but there are a few ideas that might make a difference. First off, name it. The moment you feel it, gently acknowledge it. Oh, there's that Sunday feeling again. That simple act of noticing, without judgement, helps move the emotion out of reactivity and into awareness. Because the more we resist it, the more we try to distract or deny the louder it often becomes. It might be important for you to set a cutoff time with certain things. If your Sunday's filled with lunch prepping and planning for the week ahead, you might find the dread creeps in earlier and earlier and earlier. So give yourself a boundary. Maybe that's 6:00 PM. After that, no more planning. Certainly no emails, no chores, just something that nurtures you, A walk, a podcast, some music, stillness, whatever reminds your nervous system that you're safe. Now, in advance, if you can let Friday help Sunday. That can be good. Try wrapping up your week on a Friday, today, with a simple Monday plan. Doesn't need to be detailed, just two or three things to start the day. That way Sunday isn't for rehearsing or catastrophising. It's for being. Let Friday you, take care of Monday you. So Sunday you can rest. Sometimes the dread is there because Monday genuinely is difficult. The work is draining. The environment isn't supportive and that deserves attention. But sometimes the dread is about transition from rest to performance, from being to doing, and that's a normal human thing. So if you feel that creeping discomfort on a Sunday, you are not alone. It doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. It means you care. Maybe it means you've been holding a lot and maybe you just need a softer landing into the week. So here's a thought. The dread doesn't define the day. Just because Sunday feels heavy doesn't mean Monday will be and even if it is tough, you know what? You've handled tough before. You'll handle this as well. So try to carve out one small moment this Sunday just for you. With no agenda, no prep, just something kind, a moment to say to yourself. I'm okay. I've got this. I am enough. Because you are. Thanks as always for joining me today. Like I said, the full episode about this is on my Patreon page, along with hundreds more for you to enjoy. Please do consider joining me on there and contributing to the running of the podcast. I literally can't do it without you. And for what you get it's quite cheap, really. I'll be on there on Monday and every Monday. In the meantime, take care of yourself and maybe give your Monday a chance to surprise you. Take care.