Have you ever woken up on a Sunday morning after a long weekend of fun and felt like the world is crashing in on you? I find this happening to me a bit too often. You wake up, knowing exactly how much you have to do, but knowing you have absolutely zero motivation to do it. All you want to do is curl into a ball and not move for the next 24 hours. Yes indeed, the “Sunday Scaries” can be frightening, but here are a few tips on how to make this day just a little bit easier and how to start your week right.
DON’T RUSH TO GET OUT OF BED.
I know, I know, this might seem like the opposite of good advice, but if you wake up feeling cranky/upset/exhausted/unmotivated/any of the above, sometimes hitting snooze on your alarm and letting yourself get that extra hour of sleep can be the best possible thing for you to do. Waking up early to be productive is not always the most efficient idea. If you are going to wake up and be in a bad mood for the rest of the day, then you aren’t going to get work done in a timely manner, only make the day a more unpleasant experience, and eventually crash from exhaustion by the end of it. Getting those couple hours of sleep can make a HUGE difference in your overall happiness and productivity levels in addition to giving your body the energy it needs to take on a busy week.
GET YOURSELF TO THE GYM.
Once you can finally get out of bed and feel you have the rest you need, your first move should be to try and force yourself to work out. Sometimes on a Sunday, if I don’t give myself a specific activity to start my day with, I find myself unable to do anything but move from my bed to my couch. Telling yourself that you have to workout, no matter how much you may whine about it, will get you out of your dorm/house and into an environment where you can start to engage your mind and body. Getting those endorphins running through your system at the beginning of your day will make you more motivated to take on whatever challenges you woke up worrying about. Plus, you always feel good about yourself after going to the gym. Even if the person next to you ran 10 miles and you did 3 sit ups, you still know you pushed yourself to do something to improve your well being and also that you did something for you and ONLY you!!!
GET. IT. DONE.
Although Sundays can be great for a leisurely brunch or a spontaneous day of exploring, if I have a lot of work to do, I find that I only come back from an outing like this feeling extremely stressed and pressed for time. Allotting a solid few hours to a date with a cubicle in Howie T is sometimes beyond necessary. Sometimes it takes me over an hour just to get off of Facebook, but regardless, I know that if I’m in the quiet (not to mention boring) library, then I will be forced to get a good chunk or work done. I think its great to bang out a bunch of tasks in the middle of the day, so that once dinner time rolls around, you feel like you actually accomplished something and not be up till all hours slaving over your computer.
TREAT YO SELF!
Just because it’s Sunday night does not mean the weekend is over!!!! Let yourself devour that pint of Ben and Jerry’s half baked ice cream or splurge on the Postmates delivery bill just so you can have your favorite takeout food. I think that every Sunday after 7pm should be devoted to YOU time. Hang out with your friends, watch a movie, do a facemask, and relax!!! Enjoy those final few hours of the weekend before you really have to get into your weekly routine. Its ok to even just get into bed and do nothing at all if that’s what you need for yourself. Think about the last little thing you want to finish off your weekend right and GET IT, DO IT, EAT IT, etc. Satisfying whatever small guilty pleasure you might have can help to put you in a better mood and set off a more positive attitude for the rest of the week.
Wishing you all luck as you head into this weekend’s rendition of the “Scaries.” Hope some of these tips help to make your day a little bit more enjoyable. Give yourself the care you need to rejuvenate your body, but at the same time be mindful of what you need/want to accomplish within the day. Set reasonable goals for yourself, but don’t forget to reward yourself as well. A positive Sunday experience can lead to a more productive, less stressful week. Start your week off right, and fight off those Sunday Scaries.
