Child, Adolescent & Adult Psychiatrist | Founder at ACES Psychiatry, Winter Garden, Florida
Answered 3 months ago
Credentials: I am a Dual Board-Certified Psychiatrist (Adult & Child/Adolescent) and the founder of ACES Psychiatry. Initial Thought: The "Sunday Scaries" are often a memory problem. In my practice, I find that Sunday evening anxiety is rarely about the actual work of the coming week; it is about the ambiguity of it. The brain treats undefined tasks as threats, keeping the nervous system in a low-level fight-or-flight mode (often felt as the "Sunday Scaries"). My top strategy for optimizing Sunday is to "Externalize Executive Function." Do not just "think about" your Monday. At 5:00 PM, take 15 minutes to write down a granular plan for Monday morning. Be specific (e.g., "Answer emails from 9:00-9:30," "Call the pediatrician"). Once the list is on paper, your working memory feels permission to "let go" of the data. Crucially, physically put the list away—in your work bag or a closed drawer. This ritual creates a psychological boundary, signaling to your brain that the planning phase is complete and it is safe to shift back into rest mode for the rest of the evening.
Hi there, I'm Lachlan Brown, a mindfulness-focused psychologist and co-founder of The Considered Man, a platform on men's mental resilience and mindful living. I work with founders, teams, and families on attention and weekly design, and I write practical, research-informed habits people can use the same day. My take is that Sunday evening should regulate the body first, then organize the week. A brief outdoor loop before dinnerdoes more for Monday than another hour at the laptop. Once the nervous system settles, planning stops feeling like worry. I keep the planning piece visual and short: name what truly must happen, what would be nice, and what will not happen, then give Monday morning one clear win in the first 90 minutes. I'm happy to collaborate with you and share mroe detailed insights/quotes on your questions. Looking forward to your reply! Thanks for considering my insights! Cheers, Lachlan Brown Mindfulness Expert | Co-founder, The Considered Man https://theconsideredman.org/ My book 'Hidden Secrets of Buddhism': https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BD15Q9WF/
Hi there, I specialise on mental health at work, and I'm happy to share some of my thoughts on how to transition from leisure time to a work week mindset, resisting pressure to check work emails on Sunday, and diary management techniques to manage workload. Thanks, Adina
Hello, I'm an LPC in Texas. I assume this is about getting ready for the week? It will vary widely depending on home life for various people but I've found that doing the Monday morning prep (coffee pot ready, lunch packed, laptop and other needed items packed) is best done on Sunday afternoon, and then saving Sunday evening for a self-care activity. That can be family time - games, movies, a TV show, a walk, or even hobbies like watercoloring, coloring...anything that can be done in a fairly short amount of time that does not involve a lot of set up and clean up. I myself have been trying to do a simple watercolor in a water coloring book as a way to center myself and spark the creative side of my brain before going back into a full therapy week.
Hello! I am a seasoned Licensed Clinical Social Worker and clinical supervisor, former business and strategy consultant with an MBA, and Co-Owner of Grow Wellness Group, a large mental wellness practice in Illinois (65 clinicians), that serves approximately 1,700 clients per month with therapy to clients age 3+, neuropsychological assessments, psychiatry, sport psychology and mental performance improvement, yoga therapy, and more. I would be delighted to provide insight into best practices for how individuals can best optimize time spent Sunday evenings to ensure the greatest outcomes for the week ahead in terms of stress and anxiety management as well as maximizing productivity through intentional planning activities and routine establishment. Inevitably, humans fall into an avoidance trap as the weekend winds down and the work week comes back into focus; where individuals' Sunday evenings can often be spent in a place of avoidance rather than acknowledging what lies ahead and doing what can feasibly be controlled to ensure stress, anxiety and last minute planning are at a minimum. As humans, we have 2 fundamental choices - acknowledge reality and have a willingness to intentionally plan to improve personal outcomes, with an eye on minimizing the stress associated with achieving that desired outcome OR resist reality when we feel discomfort and delay action because we do not want to deal with the "extra stress" of being more intentional and strategic. The latter path has a very strong tendency to become cyclical lead to greater internal turmoil and a greater illusion of what an individual may believe they are capable of achieving (ultimately untrue as this individual is not doing all they can control). The consequences of falling in the more complacent category can have far reaching impacts from individual mental and physical health to relationship challenges to parenting routines and planning to self-imposed impairments to one's personal achievements and the confidence that comes from them. Coincidentally, I have spoken on this topic in the past. Please let me know if you are interested in me contributing to your article, and I am delighted to see that this content is going out into the world! Thanks! Adam Ratner
Sunday evenings, particularly for those of us working a regular Monday - Friday schedule, is an important window to prepare for the week. Some people struggle with anxiety or anticipatory stress when faced with this period of transition from weekend to weekday. Sunday is still the weekend, so a focus should be on regulating and preparing rather than productivity. We need to get in tune with our nervous system, reflect on our rest days, and ease the mind into the week ahead with gentleness and intention. Routine and ritual can be an important part of this regulation. As a kid, I would always have a bath on Sunday, hair washed, nails clipped. It serves as a reset, signaling to your body the change in energy that is about to come. This could be a special meal, a walk, or a specific activity that signals transition and comfort. For those who struggle with anticipatory stress for the week ahead, learning to reduce the cognitive burden through list-making or journaling can stop the rumination and worry cycle. I'd be happy to offer more insights into the neuroscience of Sunday evenings, and other tools to reduce the burden of this time.