Top 5 'Sunday-Scaries-Soothing' Mental Health Practices to practice for beginners to Reclaim Your Weekend Evenings - Goh Ling Yong
The clock ticks past 6 PM on a Sunday. The golden light of the weekend afternoon begins to fade, and with it, a familiar sense of unease starts to creep in. Your stomach might feel a little tight, your mind starts racing with to-do lists and hypothetical work scenarios, and the joy of the weekend feels like it’s being siphoned away, hour by hour. If this sounds familiar, you’ve met the 'Sunday Scaries'.
This phenomenon, a form of anticipatory anxiety, isn't just a quirky meme—it's a very real experience for millions of people. It’s the dread of the impending work week that steals the last precious hours of our break, replacing relaxation with stress. We spend our Friday afternoons celebrating freedom, only to spend our Sunday evenings mourning its loss. But it doesn't have to be this way. You can reclaim your Sunday evenings and transition into the week feeling refreshed and in control, not anxious and defeated.
Here on the Goh Ling Yong blog, we believe that small, intentional practices can create massive shifts in your mental well-being. You don't need a complete life overhaul to soothe the Sunday Scaries. You just need a few simple, effective tools in your mental health toolkit. We've compiled five of our favorite beginner-friendly practices to help you transform your Sunday nights from a source of dread into an evening of genuine restoration.
1. The 'Brain Dump' Journaling Method
The Problem: On Sunday nights, your brain can feel like a web browser with 50 tabs open. You're thinking about the big presentation on Wednesday, the email you forgot to send on Friday, your grocery list, that weird comment your boss made, and what to pack for lunch tomorrow. This mental clutter is a primary fuel source for anxiety, making it impossible to relax.
The Practice: The 'Brain Dump' is exactly what it sounds like: getting every single thought out of your head and onto paper. This isn't about beautiful prose or structured journaling; it's a raw, unfiltered clearing of your mental cache. By externalizing your worries, you separate yourself from them. They transform from a tangled, overwhelming mess inside your head into a concrete, manageable list on a page. This simple act creates immediate psychological distance and reduces the feeling of being overwhelmed.
To get started, grab a notebook and a pen (the physical act is often more effective than typing). Set a timer for just 10 or 15 minutes and write continuously without stopping, judging, or editing. Write down your to-do list, your fears, your half-formed ideas, and your random musings. No thought is too big or too small. Once the timer goes off, you can take an optional next step: organize the chaos. Quickly scan your list and categorize items into three columns: "Actionable (This Week)," "To Think About Later," and "Let Go (Out of My Control)." This final step provides a powerful sense of order and control, leaving you with a clear mind ready for rest.
2. The Five-Senses 'Sensory Reset'
The Problem: Anxiety is almost always future-focused. The Sunday Scaries thrive on "what-if" scenarios about the week ahead. "What if the meeting goes poorly?" "What if I can't handle my workload?" This future-tripping pulls you out of the present moment, where you are actually safe and comfortable, and traps you in a cycle of hypothetical stress.
The Practice: A 'Sensory Reset' is a powerful grounding technique that yanks your attention back to the present moment. By intentionally focusing on what your five senses are experiencing right now, you interrupt the anxiety cycle. You can't be fully immersed in the smell of lavender and simultaneously be worrying about a Tuesday deadline. Your brain is forced to focus on the immediate, tangible world around you, which is almost always far less threatening than the future you're imagining.
A simple and highly effective method is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. Wherever you are, take a slow, deep breath and mentally identify:
- 5 things you can see: The texture of your blanket, a picture on the wall, the color of the lamplight.
- 4 things you can feel: The warmth of your tea mug, the softness of your socks, the solid chair beneath you.
- 3 things you can hear: The hum of the refrigerator, distant traffic, your own breathing.
- 2 things you can smell: A scented candle, the lingering aroma of dinner, the clean scent of laundry.
- 1 thing you can taste: A mint, a sip of water, the lingering flavor of toothpaste.
You can also create a dedicated sensory ritual. Brew a fragrant cup of chamomile tea and focus solely on its warmth and aroma. Put on a playlist of calming instrumental music. Light a favorite scented candle. The key is to fully immerse yourself in the sensory experience, gently guiding your mind back whenever it starts to wander to the week ahead.
3. The 20-Minute 'Week-Ahead Tidy-Up'
The Problem: A significant part of Sunday anxiety stems from a fear of the unknown. We feel unprepared for the barrage of tasks and responsibilities that await us on Monday morning, creating a sense of impending doom. The temptation is to either ignore it completely (leading to more anxiety) or to start working (which completely defeats the purpose of a weekend).
The Practice: The 'Week-Ahead Tidy-Up' is the perfect middle ground. It's a strictly time-boxed session—no more than 20 minutes—dedicated to creating a sense of clarity and control for the upcoming week. This isn't about doing the work; it's about organizing the work so that Monday morning feels less like an ambush and more like a calm, orderly start. This small investment of time pays huge dividends in reduced anxiety.
Set a timer for 20 minutes. During this time, you might choose two or three of these tasks:
- Briefly review your calendar to see what meetings or appointments you have.
- Write down your top 3 most important tasks for Monday. This gives you a clear starting point.
- Tidy up your physical or digital workspace. Close unnecessary tabs, organize files on your desktop, or clear clutter from your desk.
- Pack your work bag or lay out your clothes for the next day.
The most important rule is that when the timer goes off, you are done. You have successfully planted a seed of preparedness, and now you must give yourself permission to fully disengage. This practice tells your anxious brain, "I've got this. There's a plan. Now, it's time to rest." As a professional who often works with clients on managing work-life balance, I've found this technique, similar to approaches Goh Ling Yong recommends for creating structure, to be one of the most effective for taming work-related anxiety.
4. The Intentional 'Screen-Free' Wind-Down
The Problem: In an attempt to distract ourselves from the Sunday Scaries, we often turn to our screens. We scroll endlessly through social media, binge-watch a stressful drama, or get caught in a rabbit hole of news articles. Instead of calming us down, this often does the opposite. The blue light from our devices suppresses melatonin (the sleep hormone), while the content we consume can be agitating, leading to a night of restless, poor-quality sleep.
The Practice: Create a non-negotiable "digital sunset" at least 60-90 minutes before you plan to go to sleep. This means putting your phone, tablet, and laptop away—ideally in another room so you're not tempted. This act alone signals to your brain that the day is ending and it's time to shift into a state of rest. By removing the source of overstimulation, you create space for genuine relaxation.
What do you do with this newfound screen-free time? Replace the digital void with restorative, analog activities. This could be anything that feels calming to you personally. Some wonderful options include:
- Reading a physical book (fiction is often best for escapism).
- Listening to a calming podcast or an audiobook.
- Doing a jigsaw puzzle or a crossword.
- Performing some gentle stretches or yin yoga.
- Taking a warm bath or shower.
- Simply sitting with a cup of herbal tea and listening to soft music.
The goal is to transition from the high-energy, high-information state of screen time to a low-stimulation, peaceful state. This not only soothes your immediate anxiety but also dramatically improves your sleep quality, ensuring you wake up on Monday feeling physically and mentally rested.
5. The 'Joy-Spark' Ritual
The Problem: The Sunday Scaries can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We anticipate feeling anxious on Sunday evening, and so we do. The entire evening becomes defined by this feeling of dread, and we forget that these hours belong to us, not to our jobs. We need to actively and intentionally overwrite this negative association with a positive one.
The Practice: The 'Joy-Spark' Ritual is about scheduling something on Sunday evening that you genuinely look forward to—something that feels like a treat, a comfort, or a small celebration. It's about giving Sunday evening its own positive identity, separate from Monday morning. By making it a recurring ritual, you begin to recondition your brain to associate this time with pleasure and restoration, not just apprehension.
Your Joy-Spark Ritual should be something that feels indulgent and restorative to you. It shouldn't feel like another chore on your to-do list. Think about what truly brings you comfort and delight. It could be:
- A Comfort Movie Night: Pick a favorite, feel-good movie and make it a weekly event with popcorn or your favorite snack.
- A "Fancy" Bake-Off: Spend an hour baking a simple but delicious treat, like cookies or a mug cake, to enjoy.
- A Spa-at-Home Session: Run a bath with Epsom salts and essential oils, put on a face mask, and listen to a guided meditation.
- A 'Connect' Call: Schedule a weekly phone or video call with a friend or family member who always lifts your spirits.
- A Creative Outlet: Spend 30 minutes on a low-pressure creative hobby like sketching, knitting, or playing an instrument.
By planting this flag of joy firmly in your Sunday evening, you send a powerful message: "This time is mine." You stop letting the shadow of Monday fall over your entire evening and start treating it as the special, restorative end to your weekend that it deserves to be.
Your Weekend is Yours to Reclaim
The Sunday Scaries can feel like an inevitable part of modern life, but they are not a life sentence. By incorporating one or more of these simple, beginner-friendly practices, you can start to shift your relationship with your weekend evenings. You can move from a state of passive dread to one of active restoration and control.
Start small. You don't have to implement all five of these at once. Pick the one that resonates with you the most and commit to trying it this coming Sunday. Whether it's a 10-minute brain dump, a 20-minute tidy-up, or a cozy movie night, you are taking a crucial step toward reclaiming your peace of mind.
Which of these practices will you try first? Do you have your own go-to method for soothing the Sunday Scaries? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below—we'd love to learn from you
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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