As I get older, I’m realizing the “Sunday Scaries” hit me harder than they did when I was in my 20s. And they hit differently. When I was younger, a lot of my Sundays were for bottomless brunch or day drinking for football. Those days are LONG gone, but one thing is consistent — the Sunday Scaries. Although I’m no longer anxious about being hit with a hangover on Sunday, I’m hit with another wave of anxiety. Now that Rob and I live together, the anxiety is doubled because we BOTH feel it. I’m really trying to figure out a routine that works for me and for us. So here are some things we’ve been doing — otherwise known as the Sunday reset.
How To Perfect The Sunday Reset
Run some errands
Sundays just feel like a nice day to run some errands. I don’t have too much time during the week to get extra stuff done, so I think reserving Sundays for errands is perfect! Some recent errands included: Sephora stock up, Amazon returns, making copies of my keys, a grocery store run, and a stop in at Nespresso. It’s also nice that when you’re in New York City, your errands include walking. I absolutely love walking. I don’t even realize how many calories we’re burning when we walk to our weekend coffee shop, so it’s nice to get that bit of exercise in as well.
Feel good tunes
When in doubt, put on your favorite playlist and vibe. Or jam. Or have a dance party in your underwear. When I want some feel good music, I toggle between some country music or Motown on Spotify. I typically put on a playlist where I don’t know what’s going to come on next (aka my Harry Styles playlist). I enjoy the surprise element, and a lot of the times there are songs on these lists that I don’t know!
Sunday clean up
I didn’t start doing this until Rob and I were living together. We started seeing these “Sunday cleaning videos for anxiety” on TikTok, and almost immediately started doing the same. We bought everything from relaxing melatonin spray for our bed to microfiber clothes to fabric spray for our new couch. Every Sunday isn’t an insane deep clean, even just cleaning surfaces and vacuuming makes a huge difference! I’ve found that it really does help my anxiety – cleaning helps distract me from anxiety and then when we’re done I just enjoy being in a clean/decluttered space for the rest of the day!
Take the edge off
Now I know this may not be for everyone, but these gummies from Kush Queens have been gamechangers for us. They’re mixed with CBD and Delta 8 (or 9) THC. It’s a 1:1 ratio, so they’re not as strong as straight up weed gummies. Taking one of these have helped me relax immensely, especially on Sunday nights. I know CBD and THC affects everyone differently, but for me, I don’t experience a crazy weed high. I feel relaxed and an overall body high. If you’re looking to try them, I have a discount code for you: DANAM5. We just placed another order this week! They also have a variety of other CBD products to browse.
Light a candle
Candles cure all, right? We have such a good rotation of candles. Some forest-y, some musky, some cozy. They all serve a purpose, and there’s nothing better than lighting a candle when you’re done cleaning your space. It’s pretty much the icing on the cake. I’m a BIG fan of Scent Lab candles – I love how custom they are! My code DANA15 gets you 15% off.
Practice mindfulness and gratitude
This has been a big thing for me. Trying to live intentionally doesn’t come easy for me. A lot of the time, I’m caught up in how quickly life moves. I find myself acting like a robot sometimes and the days truly get away from me before I feel like I do anything I want to do. I talk a lot about this in therapy – it feels counterproductive to SIT in your anxiety. To SIT in those uncomfortable moments. But that’s what being mindful is.
Being mindful of the good AND the bad. Allowing my anxious thoughts and behavior to come in and out as usual. It’s a lot to let that happen, all while NOT allowing it to affect me. But hey, that’s what therapy is for. So when I’m anxious (and mindful of that anxiety), I also like to practice gratitude. Being THANKFUL for all the things in my life – no matter how big or small.
Read over screen
I’m horrible at this. My phone is quite literally attached to my hand, and it’s extremely hard to break this habit. I LOVE reading, I really do, but I’m sadly prioritizing scrolling over page turning. I read a lot on my commute to work, but I find it really difficult to just sit on my couch or in bed and read. I told Rob this is something I really want to prioritize ASAP.
I find that now that I really like my job, the Sunday scaries don’t hit as hard, except for feeling like I can never finish my neverending to-do list. I love your list, and a lot of these are things I do, too. I also always try to get in at least one mini adventure, even if it’s just reading a book in a part of checking out a restaurant I’ve never been to before.
Omg yes!!! It’s definitely easier when you enjoy what you do during the week. I love the idea of an “adventure” — I find myself going to the same restaurants out of anxiety/habit, but definitely need to try some new ones! Hope you had a great weekend! xx