Do you ever wonder why you feel so anxious every Sunday night? You leave class Friday afternoon feeling pumped for the upcoming weekend, but by the time 7:00pm on Sunday rolls around, the overwhelming responsibilities of a new week start to hit, and suddenly you’re in panic-mode!
Sound familiar? Sunday night anxiety is a common issue among many college students that can lead to trouble sleeping, among other things. Luckily, there are a few easy ways for students to reduce their Sunday night blues and meet the challenge of Monday morning feeling confident and well-rested!
1. Get a jump start on homework
Even though studying is the last thing in the world you feel like doing when you leave your last class on Fridays, it’ll make a world of difference to try and at least get started on one assignment right away. Even if it’s just one chapter of a Psych reading or spending 30 minutes flipping through flash cards for your Italian quiz, knowing you’ll have one less boring chore to get done on Sunday night will make you feel way less overwhelmed when trying to plan out the rest of the weekend.
2. Wake up early
Everyone loves to sleep in the morning after a Saturday night rager, but by staying in bed until the late in the afternoon, you’ll end up feeling groggy all evening and most likely screw up your sleep schedule for the rest of the week. Instead of hitting snooze until 3 p.m. and then feeling like you have no time left in the day, grab an energy-packed breakfast and get a head start on taking notes or returning all those academic emails that have piled up in your inbox.
3. Write a to-do list.
Get rid of that nagging “What am I forgetting about?” feeling by sitting down to write out everything you want to accomplish for the upcoming week. By physically putting the words down on a notepad or in a cute planner, you’ll be able to see exactly what deadlines you have coming up and you’ll have a much easier time prioritizing how much time to give to each one! There are tons of free to-do list apps available for your phone, but I prefer physically writing out my weekly agenda because it feels like I’m actually emptying each of my tasks out of my head and onto the page.
4. Plan your outfit/pack your bag
Getting into the routine of pre-planning your look for the next day and prepping your backpack with everything for class may take some getting used to at first, but it will help make your mornings stress-free. Not only will you be able to grab a few extra minutes of sleep, but you’ll be much less likely to forget that important term paper in your printer if you’re not scrambling to do your hair, brush your teeth, and make coffee all at the same time before heading to an 8 a.m. Plus, if you put some thought into your outfit the night before, you’ll be less tempted to resort to the leggings and sweatshirt standby.
5. Develop a nighttime mantra
As you’re trying to wind down for the night, take a couple of slow breaths and adopt an encouraging motto for yourself, like, “I’ve got this under control,” or “I can handle anything.” Focus on repeating whatever phrase you choose before drifting off to sleep, or even say it out loud a few times to help improve your confidence. If this feels too silly, try listening to the same playlist of soft songs every Sunday, or explore other calming options like meditation or yoga.
6. Indulge and wind down
After you’ve gotten your week plan mapped out and everything set up for the morning, give your brain and body a well-deserved break before bed with a little pampering. Take a bath, try out a new nail color, or settle in with a few chapters of your favorite book. If you try to jump right from serious work mode to sleep, your brain won’t be able to naturally wind down and you’ll just end up replaying all of your responsibilities in your head. Instead, set the textbooks aside at least an hour before your planned bedtime and do something positive that will set your mind at ease.
With just a few habit changes, Sundays no longer have to come with a sense of dread and can instead be just as relaxing as the rest of your weekend!