We all know how it goes: you went on a killer first date Thursday, went out with some work friends on Friday, rallied with the girls on Saturday, and now have spent Sunday morning and afternoon recovering and forcing yourself to get groceries to meal prep for the rest of the week.
Now, it’s probably about 7 p.m. and you’re trying to concentrate on an episode of your favorite TV show, but your mindless scrolling on social media has now made you feel like you’re falling behind and inadequate. So you try to journal about it, create your to-do list for the week, and maybe even go for a run, but no matter what you cannot deny that you’re feeling stressed and anxious. I’m no doctor, but I think you have a case of the “Sunday Scaries.”
The Sunday Scaries can be described as the nagging anxiety and nervousness you feel in anticipation for Monday: Maybe you procrastinated over the weekend and are already feeling behind, or maybe you have a tendency to overthink situations and are convinced your boss hates you. Whatever the root cause may be, I talked to Dora Kamau, Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher at Headspace, to get to the bottom of how to cope with your Scary Sundays.
WTF are the “Sunday Scaries?”
According to a LinkedIn survey, 80% of professionals say they experience Sunday Scaries, with over 90% of Millennials and Gen-Z reporting that they feel it as well. “Even if you don’t have a particularly stressful work week coming up, we can still get hit with Sunday Scaries if we frequently associate work with stress,” Kamau says. “We experience a real stress reaction to a threat that is only perceived. Nothing’s happened yet. But it feels like we’re in the thick of work stress — at home, on Sunday.”
Now, the most important thing to cope with these feelings is understanding what the underlying cause is, which most commonly is rooted in procrastination or overthinking. “When the limbic system (the emotional part of our brain), overtakes the prefrontal cortex (the part of our brain that helps us plan and make decisions), our want for instant gratification becomes a need,” Kamau explains. “While procrastination can be labeled as lazy, it’s actually an emotional-management issue, but the good news is you can unlearn this habit — so start with little tasks and gradually build up to the big one you’re dreading, and do not forget to celebrate when you’ve finished!”
Now, perhaps you aren’t a procrastinator but an overthinker which is less clear to scientists but is thought to engage similar parts of the brain as procrastination but adds the amygdala which is the brain’s emotional center. “The amygdala which is part of the limbic system, makes our heart pound,” Kamau says. “It makes us feel uneasy and gives us muscle tension. The more you worry about something, the more you train your brain to think about it — and the more you activate the amygdala. It can become a vicious cycle, and you could put yourself at risk of developing anxiety in the future.”
Here’s How to Cope.
Okay, I know that is scary but don’t worry Headspace is here to help us! In fact, after 30 days Headspace users reported a 32% decrease in overall stress – so we’re in good hands. Deep breathing gets more oxygen to the thinking brain and also activates a “relaxation response of your parasympathetic nervous system to calm down” reminds Kamau.
Kamau’s suggestion? Try Box breathing! Inhale deeply through the nose to the count of four. Hold your breath for a count of four, then exhale through the nose or mouth for a count of four, and hold again for four counts. As you do this, you want to ensure you are breathing into the entirety of the lungs and expanding the belly to really feel the benefits of this breathing technique. It’s also best if you can do this exercise for 5-10 cycles or until you feel ease of mind.
That helped, didn’t it… Headspace offers a variety of courses and mediations from managing anxiety, to letting go of stress, to “Why can’t I sleep?” They also have a series of meditations centered around the Sunday Scaries that includes positive affirmations to help you reset, identify anxious thoughts, and ease into the workweek.