How to Calm Sunday Scaries
Picture this: it’s 2:00 pm on a Sunday, you’re relaxing and enjoying the weekend, and then, all of a sudden, that all-too-familiar feeling of dread hits.
Most of us know this feeling as the Sunday Scaries. When the Scaries happen, we often feel as though a freight train of anxious thoughts and overwhelming negative feelings has hit us.
The “SSes” cloud the time we should be spending doing what we love most in a dark fog, consuming our thoughts and preventing us from fully embracing our precious free time.
Experts chalk this feeling up to anticipatory anxiety, a form of anxiety characterized by an intense feeling of apprehension of a future event. In the case of the SSes, that event is often returning to work on Monday.
We don’t have to be doomed to a lifetime of Sunday dread, though. Once we acknowledge our stressors, we can learn to overcome them with healthy coping mechanisms.
Keep reading for a few things you can do to soothe some of your anxious thoughts, so you can get back to savoring and taking advantage of your weekends, and taking on the workweek in stride.
1. Incorporate adaptogens into your routine
“Adaptogen” is somewhat of a buzzword in the wellness industry, but we think this is for good reason, and that adaptogens may be a great addition to your arsenal against the Scaries.
Let’s break down how adaptogens work with an analogy. When you exercise, you put stress on your body. But over time with repeated exercise, your body creates muscles and grows more able to take on the stressors of repeated movement and strength training. Adaptogenic plants may work similarly, by training your body to respond and adapt to stressors. Some researchers state that adaptogens may tweak hormone production, and help alleviate physiological responses to stress.
That’s why we recommend these super-plants as an SS remedy. Incorporating an adaptogen like Ashwagandha into your daily routine can seriously help you feel your best and prepare your mind and body to take on the Scaries-induced stress.
Many adaptogens, like Ashwagandha, have been used as medicinal herbs for thousands of years, wayyyy before the Scaries were even a thing. That’s why we included this plant power in our Chilled Out formula, so you can enjoy this ancient secret in a delicious and easy-to-incorporate dissolvable powder. (More on that later!)
2. Spend some quality time with the outdoors
You also may find it helpful to make a point to get outside and feel the sunshine on your face and the fresh air in your lungs each Sunday.
Experts have long celebrated the stress-busting properties of spending some time outdoors. In fact, a recent study done at Cornell found that spending just 10-50 minutes of time in natural spaces can greatly boost mood and improve physiological stress markers like blood pressure and heart rate.
Our recommendation? Our team has been loving Sunday picnics. Gather a few of your besties, do a quick search for parks near you, and hit up your local grocery store on the way to gather some picnic charcuterie materials. It’s hard to feel the presence of the Sunday Scaries when you’re enjoying good food, good company, and good grounding energy around you.
Long story short? Spend your Sundays outside doing whichever activities fulfill you. It’ll boost your mood and keep you from wallowing in the dread of Monday.
3. Make your Mondays something to look forward to
We know, we know. Making Mondays exciting seems like an impossible task.
That’s why we suggest coming up with three positive things to look forward to in the new day and new week. These things don’t have to be anything grand, just identify your small joys and think about how you can incorporate them into your Mondays.
Save that new episode of your favorite podcast for Monday to listen to as you get ready. Meal prep your favorite dish for lunch. Make a fun plan for Monday night with a friend or your partner (we love Monday night game nights!).
Having pleasant things to look forward to is a great way to remind ourselves that Mondays aren’t all that bad! In fact, they’re a chance to start a new week off with positivity and determination to get sh*t done.
4. Add a relaxing mocktail to your sleep routine
Because Sunday stress can seriously impede our ability to get restful sleep, it is so important to protect our peace by developing a sleep routine that works for us.
Up your self-care routine and plan a consistent Sunday night ritual to help you get your week started on a well-rested foot. Make a plan to do what relaxes you, whether that be journaling, calling a friend or family member, or watching a movie.
We also recommend adding a yummy and relaxing mocktail to your nighttime routine. We’ve recently been loving a tart nighttime punch alcohol-free nightcap before bedtime.
Here’s how to make our personal favorite drink. Simply shake 1 part tart cherry juice, 1 part apple, and 1 part grape juice. Bonus tip: we like to add our Chilled Out powder into to mix for ultimate bedtime relaxation. With ingredients like ashwagandha, L-theanine, magnesium, lemon balm, and more, this formula is designed to settle the mind and relax the body, and will dissolve perfectly into your mocktail.
So, draw a bath, put a face mask on, enjoy your drink, and relax. Sunday Scaries, begone!
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We hope these tips will help you alleviate your Scaries and get you back to feeling your best, no matter the day of the week. However, if your anxious thoughts begin to feel out of your own control, we ALWAYS recommend speaking with a professional.
References
Ducharme, Jamie. "What Are Adaptogens And Why Are People Taking Them?". Time, 2018,https://time.com/5025278/adaptogens-herbs-stress-anxiety/#:~:text=Adaptogens%20are%20non%2Dtoxic%20plants,re%20having%20a%20renaissance%20today Accessed 13 Apr 2021.
Genevive R. Meredith, Donald A. Rakow, Erin R. B. Eldermire, Cecelia G. Madsen, Steven P. Shelley, Naomi A. Sachs. Minimum Time Dose in Nature to Positively Impact the Mental Health of College-Aged Students, and How to Measure It: A Scoping Review. Frontiers in Psychology, 2020; 10 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02942