You know that feeling that comes up on Sundays? Maybe it’s when you first wake up and you realize it’s Sunday, or sometime mid-day when that sense of dread rushes through your body like a lightning bolt as you realize tomorrow is Monday? It can ruin your whole day, robbing you of the rest and relaxation that you deserve and that gives your mind and body a much-needed reprieve from the busy workweek.
Why do the Sunday Scaries occur? Evolutionarily, our brains consistently and automatically scan our environment for anything that might be a threat to our peace and calm. If we experience the workplace as highly stressful or unsafe physically, mentally, or even energetically, our brain considers it a threat to our wellbeing. Left unchecked, we resort to perseverating on what’s to come.
So what can we do in the moment when the Sunday Scaries arise?
- Ground yourself. Pause and take a deep breath. As you release your breath, focus on the points of contact with the earth: could be your feet on the ground or your body in the chair you’re sitting on.
- Focus on this moment. Once you pause and feel grounded, focus your attention on what is happening in this moment. Most often, in this moment, everything is ok. You may have challenges you are facing or difficult circumstances, but you are breathing, and alive.
- Don’t “future-trip.” Catch yourself when you begin “future-tripping” – worrying about situations that haven’t happened yet. And remember that in most cases, those scenarios have as much chance of going well as they do of going poorly. When you catch yourself fearing tomorrow, bring yourself back to now. Find something that is good about this moment, or this day, and feel the positive energy flow throughout your body.
These are a few ways you can counteract that feeling of dread. What’s most important is to recognize when it happens. Often, we will get that surge of adrenaline and then feel “off” or anxious the rest of the day. If we can acknowledge the thought or sensation when it arises, and remember that it is just our reptilian brain on the lookout for any perceived threat, it’s much easier to shift gears and make the most out of the rest of the day.