By: Arena Ellis
It’s Sunday evening, the weekend is almost over, and the work week is about to begin. A sudden feeling of dread washes over you and you find yourself wishing you could rewind the clock to extend your weekend. To some, this can kick in around the evening time. To others, this can kick in as soon as 10:00 A.M. Nevertheless, if this feeling sounds familiar to you, you’ve definitely experienced the Sunday Scaries.
So, is it possible to beat this weekly feeling? Yes! And we’re here to show you how.
Be Proactive
Preparing meals in advance can take away the constant question of “what should I have for lunch?” and will help you stick to healthier choices while also minding your budget. Create a grocery list of staple food items that you can use in versatile ways and set aside a few hours to do some bulk prepping in your kitchen. By bulk prepping, you are spending less time cooking per week, which equates to less cleanup during the week. If you are like me and like variety, but don’t really follow specific recipes, buddha bowls will be your new best friend. This way, you can still enjoy the food you’ve prepared in advance, but not be confined to eating just one meal five days a week. The best part? They’re so easy. Throw everything in a bowl and chow down.
Looking at your calendar in advance can really help make a difference to the start of your work week. For me, I feel it’s a great way to mentally prepare for what’s to come and prepares me for how much of my energy will be required each day. You can’t plan for every last-minute thing that pops up, but you can at least plan out your outfits (or at the minimum what items you should throw in the laundry). When you look good, you feel good and sometimes that’s all you need to power through your day.
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Rest & Play
Work is something we do to make a living, not something that we make our whole lives. It’s important that you do things that you enjoy with your time off work. Whether it’s doing a HIIT boot camp class, going on a hike with your dog, or going to trivia night with your friends, make sure you’re having fun and taking time to do the things that leave you feeling fulfilled.
There are also times that weekend fun can take a toll on our bodies. I used to be one who would try to optimize every chance I got by making all the weekend plans but leaving no time to rest. Make sure you are getting adequate sleep, taking time for self-care, experimenting with fun collagen recipes (have you tried this matcha latte?!), and ensuring that you have down time before starting up your busy week. If you run yourself empty on the weekends but don’t fuel yourself back up, you’ll be sputtering until the next weekend comes around.
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Soul Search
Have you tried everything you can, but the Sunday Scaries feeling just doesn’t go away? Try to calm your mind, sitting with your thoughts or run through some breathing exercises to help you relax. Journal about it. Meditate. Instead of going into the work week with dread, approach it with gratitude and see if that starts to shift your mindset.
If that still doesn’t do the trick, have a candid conversation with yourself and find the “why” behind this feeling. Are you happy with what you are doing for a living? Do you need to have a conversation with your manager about a need for change? Do you need to explore new opportunities? Sometimes we just need to start by being honest with ourselves, then act from there.
From meal prepping to mentally prepping, taking a proactive approach to your week ahead can help reduce feelings of stress and help set you up for success. It is important to take time to do things that you enjoy, but also give yourself adequate time to rest before the work week begins. Mind-clearing practices can help, but it’s also important to be honest with yourself and dig a little deeper if the feeling is constant. No promises that these remedies will make you suddenly fall in love with Mondays, but they sure can help you hate them a little less.