Top 12 'Sunday-Scaries-Soothing' Wellness Routines to do for Reclaiming Your Weekend Evenings - Goh Ling Yong
It starts as a faint whisper around 3 PM on a Sunday. By the time the sun begins to set, casting long, golden-hour shadows, it’s a full-blown hum of anxiety. The freedom of the weekend starts to feel like a memory, and the looming reality of Monday morning’s emails, meetings, and responsibilities takes over. This, my friends, is the all-too-familiar phenomenon known as the "Sunday Scaries."
This wave of anticipatory anxiety doesn't just steal your joy; it robs you of the last precious hours of your weekend. Instead of feeling rested and recharged, you enter the week already feeling drained and on edge. But what if you could reclaim that time? What if your Sunday evening could become a sanctuary of calm, a deliberate ritual that soothes your mind and prepares you for the week ahead with intention, not dread?
It’s entirely possible. The key is to transform your Sunday evening from a passive waiting period into an active, nurturing experience. By implementing a few simple wellness routines, you can effectively hit the reset button, quiet the mental chatter, and reframe your relationship with the start of the week. Here are 12 powerful, scaries-soothing routines to help you do just that.
1. The 'Brain Dump' & Gentle Planning Session
One of the biggest drivers of Sunday anxiety is the feeling of being overwhelmed by an unknown quantity of work. Your brain starts spinning with a chaotic list of tasks, deadlines, and worries. The most effective way to quiet this noise is to get it out of your head and onto paper. This is the 'brain dump'.
Grab a notebook and for 10-15 minutes, write down everything—and I mean everything—that's on your mind for the upcoming week. Worried about that 9 AM meeting? Write it down. Need to remember to pick up dry cleaning on Tuesday? Write it down. Vague feelings of stress? Write them down, too. This act of externalizing your thoughts reduces their power and frees up mental space.
Once your brain is clear, spend just five more minutes on gentle planning. Look at your list and identify only your top 3 priorities for Monday. Not the whole week, just Monday. This creates a clear, manageable starting point, transforming a mountain of dread into a few simple, actionable steps. You're no longer walking into the unknown; you're walking in with a plan.
2. The Tech-Free 'Golden Hour'
Our phones are portals to endless information, connection, and, unfortunately, work. A late-night email from your boss or a stressful news headline can instantly derail a peaceful evening. To combat this, designate a specific time—say, 8 PM to 9 PM—as your non-negotiable, tech-free 'Golden Hour'.
This means all screens go off. No mindless scrolling on social media, no checking emails "just in case," and no watching stressful television shows. The blue light from screens can disrupt your circadian rhythm, making it harder to fall asleep, while the constant stream of information keeps your nervous system in a state of high alert.
Use this hour for purely analog activities. Read a physical book (more on that later), listen to a calming playlist, have a real conversation with your partner or roommate, do a jigsaw puzzle, or simply sit with a cup of herbal tea. You'll be amazed at how quickly your mind settles when it's not being constantly stimulated.
3. Aromatic Indulgence: The Spa Bath or Shower
Transforming a mundane daily task into a mindful ritual is a cornerstone of self-care. Your Sunday evening shower or bath is the perfect opportunity for this. The goal is to engage all your senses to ground you in the present moment and wash away the day's (and the week's) anxieties.
If you have a bathtub, add some Epsom salts, which are rich in magnesium and can help relax sore muscles. Add a few drops of calming essential oils like lavender, chamomile, or ylang-ylang. Dim the lights, light a candle with a soothing scent, and put on some ambient music or a nature sounds track.
No bath? No problem. A 'spa shower' can be just as effective. Place a few drops of eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil on the floor of your shower (away from the direct stream of water). As the steam rises, it will create a deeply relaxing, aromatic experience. Focus on the feeling of the warm water, the smell of the oils, and the sound of the rain-like spray.
4. Mindful Movement, Not a Workout
Sunday evening is not the time for a high-intensity interval training session. The goal here isn't to burn calories; it's to release the physical tension that has built up in your body. Anxious thoughts often manifest as tight shoulders, a clenched jaw, and a constricted chest. Mindful movement helps to gently unwind it all.
Dedicate 15-20 minutes to a gentle, restorative yoga practice. You don't need to be a yogi; search for "restorative yoga for anxiety" or "bedtime yoga" on YouTube—channels like Yoga with Adriene are fantastic for this. Focus on deep, slow stretches, holding poses that open up the hips and chest.
If yoga isn't your thing, simple stretching works just as well. Lie on your back and hug your knees to your chest. Do some gentle neck rolls and shoulder shrugs. The key is to sync your movement with your breath. Inhale as you lengthen, exhale as you deepen the stretch. This simple practice tells your nervous system that it is safe to relax.
5. The Nourishing 'Comfort' Meal
What you eat can have a profound impact on your mood. Instead of ordering a greasy takeaway that might leave you feeling sluggish, use Sunday dinner as an opportunity to cook something simple, nourishing, and deeply comforting. The act of cooking itself can be a form of active meditation.
Focus on a meal that is warm and easy to digest. Think of a hearty lentil soup, a creamy risotto, a simple pasta dish, or a roasted vegetable grain bowl. The repetitive, rhythmic actions of chopping vegetables, stirring a pot, and smelling the delicious aromas can be incredibly grounding.
Make enough so you have leftovers for lunch on Monday. This is a gift to your future self. Knowing that a healthy, delicious lunch is already waiting for you removes one decision and one task from an already busy Monday morning, making the start of your week just that little bit smoother.
6. Curate Your 'Monday Morning Launchpad'
One of the sneaky sources of Sunday anxiety is the frantic rush of Monday morning. We dread it because it's often chaotic. You can eliminate a huge chunk of that stress by creating a 'Monday Morning Launchpad' before you go to bed on Sunday.
This is a simple, 15-minute ritual where you prepare everything you need for the next day. Lay out your entire outfit, from your clothes down to your shoes and accessories. Pack your work bag with your laptop, notebook, and any other essentials. Fill your water bottle and put it in the fridge. You can even prep your coffee maker so all you have to do is press a button.
This routine does more than just save you time. It significantly reduces 'decision fatigue'—the mental exhaustion that comes from making too many small choices. By making these decisions the night before, you free up precious mental energy for the more important tasks of your Monday.
7. Engage in a 'Flow State' Hobby
A 'flow state' is a psychological term for being fully immersed and energized in an activity. It's that feeling of "being in the zone," where time seems to disappear and your anxious thoughts fade into the background because your mind is completely occupied. Finding a hobby that induces this state is a powerful antidote to the Sunday Scaries.
This isn't about being productive; it's about being present. For you, this might be reading a gripping novel that you can't put down, painting or sketching, playing a musical instrument, knitting, or working on a complex jigsaw puzzle. The key is that the activity should be challenging enough to hold your attention but not so difficult that it becomes frustrating.
Engaging in a flow state hobby for an hour or so on a Sunday evening is like a deep-cleanse for your mind. It forces you to stop ruminating on your worries about the week ahead and instead focus your full attention on the creative, engaging task at hand.
8. Connect with a Loved One (Intentionally)
Anxiety can be an incredibly isolating experience. One of the best ways to combat it is through genuine human connection. This doesn't mean sitting in the same room scrolling on your separate devices. It means dedicating time for an intentional, focused conversation with a partner, family member, or close friend.
Make a pact to put your phones away and truly check in with each other. Ask open-ended questions about their weekend and really listen to the answers. Share what's on your mind (yes, even your anxieties about Monday). Voicing your worries to someone you trust can often shrink them down to a more manageable size.
If you live alone, schedule a phone call or a video chat. Hearing a friendly, supportive voice can make a world of difference. This practice reminds you that you're not alone and that your support system is there for you, which is a powerful feeling to carry into a new week.
9. A Guided Meditation or Breathwork Practice
When your mind is racing, sometimes the best thing you can do is sit with it, guided by a calming voice. Guided meditation is an incredibly accessible tool for managing anxiety, and you don't need any prior experience to benefit from it.
There are countless free resources available on apps like Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer, as well as on YouTube. Search for a 10 or 15-minute meditation specifically designed for "anxiety relief" or "pre-sleep relaxation." These meditations often use visualization or body scan techniques to help you gently shift your focus away from your anxious thoughts and onto your physical sensations.
Alternatively, try a simple breathwork exercise. Box breathing is a fantastic technique: Inhale for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, exhale for a count of four, and hold at the bottom for a count of four. Repeat this for several minutes. This technique directly activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is your body’s built-in "rest and digest" mode.
10. The 'Gratitude Journal' Wind-Down
The Sunday Scaries thrive on a "scarcity" mindset—the weekend is almost gone, my free time is running out. A gratitude practice flips this script entirely, shifting your focus to an "abundance" mindset—look at the wonderful rest and joy I just experienced.
Before you turn off the lights, take five minutes with a journal and write down three specific things from your weekend that you are grateful for. Don't just write "my family." Get specific. "I'm grateful for the long, leisurely brunch I had with my sister on Saturday morning" or "I'm thankful for the beautiful weather during my walk in the park today."
This simple act reframes your entire evening. Instead of ending your weekend with a feeling of dread for what's to come, you end it on a note of appreciation for what has been. It’s a small change that has a massive psychological impact, helping you fall asleep with a sense of peace and contentment.
11. Create a Soothing Soundtrack
Our auditory environment has a powerful, often subconscious, effect on our mood. The blare of a TV action movie or the jarring alerts from your phone can keep your nervous system on high alert. A technique we often discuss on the Goh Ling Yong blog is "habit stacking," and you can stack a soothing soundtrack on top of any of these other routines.
Create a dedicated "Sunday Evening" playlist on your preferred music streaming service. Fill it with artists and genres that you personally find calming. This could be lo-fi hip-hop beats, gentle classical piano, ambient electronic music, or even just high-quality recordings of nature sounds like rain or a crackling fire.
Press play on this soundtrack as you begin your evening wind-down routine—while you're cooking, taking a bath, or reading. This acts as an auditory cue to your brain, signaling that it's time to transition from the high energy of the weekend to a state of rest and relaxation.
12. The 'Read a Real Book' Ritual
In the final hour before sleep, one of the best things you can do for your mind is to put away the glowing screens and pick up a physical, paper book. Reading on a backlit device can interfere with melatonin production, the hormone that signals to your body that it's time for sleep.
The tactile experience of holding a book, turning the pages, and focusing your eyes on static text is far less stimulating for the brain than scrolling through a dynamic, endlessly refreshing feed. It allows your mind to focus on a single narrative, pulling you out of your own head and into another world.
Choose a book that is engaging but not overly stressful—a thrilling page-turner might keep you up for the wrong reasons! Fiction, memoirs, or interesting non-fiction are all great choices. Make this a cherished part of your pre-sleep ritual, and you'll find it easier to disconnect from your daily worries and drift off into a more peaceful sleep.
Reclaim Your Peace, One Sunday at a Time
The Sunday Scaries don't have to be an inevitable part of your weekly cycle. You have the power to reshape that narrative and transform your Sunday evenings into a period of profound self-care and intentional rest.
You don't need to implement all twelve of these routines at once. Start by picking one or two that resonate most with you. Maybe it's creating a 'Monday Launchpad' to feel more in control, or perhaps it's indulging in a 'Spa Shower' to feel more grounded. As we at the Goh Ling Yong blog always say, small, consistent actions lead to the biggest transformations. By consciously choosing to soothe your mind and body, you’re not just ending your weekend well—you’re setting the tone for a calmer, more centered, and more successful week ahead.
What are your go-to routines for beating the Sunday Scaries? Share your favorite tips in the comments below
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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