Sunday scaries

The dread of Monday morning can creep in long before the alarm—classic “Sunday Scaries.” I felt this for years: Friday night was awesome, Saturday great, and then Sunday arrived. Around three or four p.m., a cloud of sadness would drift in and hang there until Monday morning. Strangely, once I got to work, it faded as the day—and the week—settled in.

It doesn’t have to be that way. I realized that dreading Monday was stealing the joy (or even the attempts at joy) from my Sunday. I listened to Headspace’s Sunday Scaries podcast, but what helped most were simple mindfulness practices—especially the 5-4-3-2-1 technique: five things I could see, four I could hear, three I could feel, two I could smell, and one I could taste.

I also built gentle rituals: a quick trip to the beach to watch the waves, coffee and a donut with my journal, serving with my family at a food bank, and yes—laundry—while sports played in the background. Monday isn’t a decree from some mystical micromanaging boss. We can look forward to it, and we can fill Sunday with rest, joy, and fun. It’s one choice away. The good news? We all hold the switch to our own lights.

Question: What small Sunday ritual could you add this week to flip your “light” from dread to joy?