Hello! Beehaw has been a wonderful new community that I joined this weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to connect with people all over the world.
I thought I would share some of the tips and practices I do on Sunday night ahead of another work week to avoid anxiety of “Sunday Scaries,” as we approach the end of the day. While I wrote this with the a 8-5 P, Monday-Friday perspective, a lot of the practices can be applied to other schedules.
I have found that on Sunday afternoon, getting the necessary things set up for the week ahead can really help me disconnect and enjoy my evening. Also, some mindfulness practices can always help ward off bad vibes.
-
30-60 minutes of chores and cleaning your spaces can really a difference. I find that a clean space is always easier to relax in. Also, chores like laundry can remove something from the week ahead.
-
meal prep or planning out the week ahead in general is something that I will do on Sunday afternoons to make the week easier and can be a fun activity to do with a partner.
-
In general, if you struggle with disconnecting from work, one technique is to practice with to-do lists. Creating a list on Friday afternoon of everything left over from the week, and what things you have to do on Monday morning. Keeping a list like this allows you to mentally disconnect and if work thoughts creep in, you can know that you’ve already kept track of everything and are ready to go for Monday.
-
exercise is always a solid option, even something light like a walk can significantly improve your mental health. Only 3 hours of exercise a week is correlated with a significant impact on your physical health.
-
Making sure to take extra time for something relaxing like a long shower can go a long way.
-
Practices regarding mindfulness and meditation are powerful tools for creating internal space to help stabilize us in this busy world. Keeping a simple gratitude journal (I like the app DayOne), speciality apps like Daylio for tracking moods, or use of meditation apps like Insight Timer (Try a 5 minute session with Linda Hall).
-
Even practices like setting out clothes, making lunch for the next day, anything where you can do a favor for your future morning self can go a long way on Monday morning.
Just wanted to share on this topic and some things that have worked for me in the past. A little bit of preparation goes a long way and helps really bring some elements of peace into the Sunday night routine.
Further to your Friday to-do list, I try to clear out my work email inbox, not replying to emails, but deleting or sorting stuff and flagging stuff that needs to be responded to. I find it much less oppressive on Mondays to not have a mountain of unread things. It can be a lot to start doing, but eventually once you whittle down your unreads it becomes easier and easier to achieve clearing it out. It’s nice when you don’t have to wonder what is lurking unread in your inbox.