Five ways to dispel your Sunday blues

“Sunday scaries” or “Sunday blues” is the feeling of being anxious and stressed out because of thinking about the heavy load the upcoming work week has in store for you.

As Urban Dictionary puts it, when this feeling hits you, you tend to mull over your “entire existence.” “Typically characterized by laying in bed all day and both regretting past decisions and questioning your seemingly non-existent future,” it further defined.

In a Psychology Today article, psychotherapist F. Diane Barth, L.C.S.W. likened “Sunday scaries” to an anxiety attack. Our fast-moving world demands so much of our time at work that we are constantly bombarded with the pressure of achieving something. This makes staying still on a Sunday, which is universally considered a rest day, pressuring for us.

Barth said that even the most successful people feel this anxiety on a Sunday night or afternoon. The most important tip to dispel this feeling is to not expect things will go as planned on the weekends. This way, the Sunday blues may be suppressed, and maybe you can really get a time off.

If you still want to keep your Sunday blues at bay, here are some other tips to keep in mind throughout the days:

1. Take a few minutes of silence.

This may sound easy at first, but for a very busy professional, it will be challenging. Each minute lost in silence corresponds to the time used in finishing some work. However, Business Insider said it is this quiet time that people tend to forget as an essential part of their busy days.

Let’s also take note that too much bustle may also cost your health as in a report from The Huffington Post in 2017, the World Health Organization reportedly described that noise pollution is a “modern plague” and that exposure to it means adverse impact to your health.

2. Carry out errands on Saturdays.

People usually dedicate Saturday for enjoyment, while Sunday is filled with errands. But happiness researcher and University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School assistant professor of marketing Cassie Mogilner, Ph.D. said people should switch these two, per Real Simple.

Scheduling chores on Saturdays will be a great move as the energy associated with the day can affect one’s productivity while accomplishing these tasks, and an errand-free Sunday will repel any burdensome feeling such as anxieties surrounding the coming week.

3. Create a mantra.

You don’t have to talk to yourself out loud. Or maybe you should. Whatsoever communication style with yourself you prefer so long as it would help you practice thinking positively more often.

To start making your own, it is essential to seek what you think and then try to put them into words. Writing down in a journal would be a good start as it can help you specify what exactly you are feeling. Once done, you can finally find a mantra to ward off negative thoughts and attract more positive energy.

4. Unplug.

Our gadgets undeniably have changed the way we live as we rely on them in our everyday lives. We use them to check the time, communicate, and even purchase our necessities. Our dependence on them is also evident by the fact that the first thing we do upon waking up is checking our phones.

But for a change, how would you make it if you distance yourself from these devices just for a day? Some time away from your phone or computer could give you the peace and silence you so desire for your rest.

5. Prioritize your family during Sundays.

There has to be a reason why Sundays are considered as a family day. This is maybe because it should be observed as such. Consider that during the week, a person only has a few hours to spend with the family.

As soon as their respective shifts draw near, a family of professionals go their separate ways and will meet again at night when the day’s work has burned them out, and they all just can’t wait to hit the sack.

Spending time with the people you hold dear can help bring more positivity in your life, so it would be ideal to devote just one day of your week to be with them.