Sunday Scaries
A lot of people get what’s called the “Sunday Scaries”. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s when your anxiety and stress starts to compound in anticipation of what Monday or the work week will bring, often times sending you into a doom spiral of what ifs and worst case scenarios. The Sunday Scaries start coming on when we think about what we have to do on Monday, what conversations we’ll have to have, or challenges we’ll have to face. We focus on all the things that are outside of our control and focus on them so intensely, that all our energy is absorbed into those “what ifs”.
I’ve had plenty of Sunday Scaries in my life, I felt these most when I wasn’t taking any control or responsibility for how I moved through my days. I looked at Monday as a day that was completely out of my control, an unknown, something to sharpen my metaphorical knives for. I wasn’t in any way happy or satisfied with the work I was doing, and I felt I always had to be prepared for a battle, whether that was defending myself, my team, my clients, my sanity. I was in a job that had me walking on eggshells for the last several months I was there, always nervous that I was going to say the wrong thing or catch my boss on a bad day and end up getting scolded for something I didn’t know I was being graded on. It was a trying time, and my way of coping was pretending I had zero control over anything. I played the victim and sank further into lack of responsibility.
After I left that job and started expanding my mind more, reading more, journaling more, and asking myself what is was I wanted out of life, I started seeing a bit more clearly. As I started working the process of personal growth, I learned to take responsibility for the meaning I assigned to life around me. I was in control of the meaning I assigned to any experience, conversation, habit, anything. And I started choosing meanings that actually served me and helped me grow. Sundays were no longer a time to be scared, they were a time to reflect, learn, and do work that mattered. When you start recognizing that you are in control of how you view your days, you can choose to view them through a lens that actually empowers you instead of dragging you down. You get to decide where your energy goes and where you place your focus. When I started moving my focus to things that actually mattered to ME, my energy increased and I began creating my own version of success.
So, if you’re not yet going on your own personal growth journey and still experience the Sunday Scaries, what can you do? If you feel those “Sunday Scaries” trying to claw their way in, choose one thing to do that brings you joy or gives you control every Sunday. This could be prepping your meals, exercising, scheduling your week, talking with a friend, enjoying a show, anything that rewrites the meaning of Sunday to something fulfilling and enjoyable. Take back control of your Sundays by filling them with things you love, that empower you, that make you feel strong, and that put you in charge. We may not be able to control absolutely everything, but there is a LOT you are in control of - your attitude and your effort are two of the most important. You can create anything you want by making the choice to do it. It’s up to you!