Do you spend Sunday night stressing out about the week ahead? Do you find yourself ruminating about how unproductive you were during your days off at the end of every weekend? You may suffer from the “Sunday Scaries,” or the stress and anxiety that can accompany the final night of your weekend, as you look ahead to the workweek to come. You're not alone in experiencing the Sunday Scaries – according to job site Monster, 76 percent of American adults report spending their Sunday worrying about the state of their career. Though you may feel like the Sunday Scaries are an unavoidable part of professional life, there are a few things you can do to combat them and reclaim your time. Check them out below.
Use Fridays to plan the week ahead.
If you typically plan out your workweek on Sunday evening, try doing that on Friday, instead, while you’re somewhere between “work” and “weekend” mode. This can help you exert some control over the week to come, without interfering with your weekend time. Remember: people are happiest when they can maintain some sense of work/life balance, so hold on to your Sunday evenings for yourself, and do all of your major planning on Friday night, instead.
Spend time with friends.
With vaccination numbers on a perpetual climb and spring slowly giving way to summer, there’s never been a better time to meet up with friends and let them help you beat your Sunday Scaries. Think about it: when you’re out and about with your old roommate or engaged in conversation with your best friend, you’re much less likely to let anxious thoughts about work interfere with your good time. Not to mention, socialization has natural destressing effects, and can even help combat depression.
Exercise your mind or body.
Stimulate your mind or body, and you’ll likely feel better about the week ahead. Studies from Yale and Oxford found that physical exercise is so beneficial to your mental health, that it even beats out earning a higher income. Plus, taking a long walk or hopping on a stationary bike can help you release some of the pent-up energy you may have concerning your week. Not in the mood to work out? Exercise your mind with meditation, which can leave you calmer and more relaxed as you enter Monday morning.
It’s always fun to learn something new! At The Briq on 4th Street Apartments in Bentonville, Arkansas, we love to provide you with fun, thought-provoking tidbits that will make you reflect on different aspects of life.