Sunday Scaries: 5 Therapist-Approved Tools to Quiet Anxiety Before Monday
You’ve probably felt it before: that creeping dread on Sunday evening when your brain starts tallying the week ahead. Your body feels restless, your thoughts race, and sleep seems impossible. We call it the Sunday Scaries and for many women, it’s more than a passing mood. It’s a pattern that drains energy before the week even begins.
Instead of another “bubble bath and Netflix” suggestion, here are five therapist-approved tools that are grounded in neuroscience and mindfulness that go deeper than the usual advice.
1. The “Brain Dump + Organize” Technique
A basic list can help, but the secret sauce is what you do after you write everything down.
Try this:
Spend 5 minutes writing everything that’s on your mind.
Then, label each task with Do, Delay, Delegate, or Drop. Create a number system one to five with importance for each task before you label them, one being most urgent/important.
This takes you from a chaotic list to a prioritized plan telling your nervous system: “We’ve got this covered.”
2. Orienting Through the Senses
When anxiety ramps up, your nervous system goes into hyper-alert. A powerful but lesser-known reset is orienting which is a somatic therapy technique.
Try this:
Look around the room and name 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, 1 thing you taste.
This signals safety to your brain, pulling you out of “what-if” thoughts and into the here-and-now.
3. Havening Touch
This is a relatively new but research-backed self-soothing tool. It involves slow, gentle touch on the arms or face while focusing on calming imagery or affirmations.
Why it works: Havening stimulates delta brain waves and calms the amygdala (the fear center), making it easier to downshift from anxiety.
Try this: Cross your arms and slowly stroke downward from shoulders to elbows while repeating: “I am safe. I am steady.”
4. Future Rehearsal, Not Future Catastrophe
Anxious brains rehearse worst-case scenarios on repeat. You can redirect that same mental power into positive future rehearsal.
Try this: Close your eyes and visualize yourself walking into Monday with calm steadiness—sipping coffee, sending that first email, smiling at a coworker. Imagine how your body feels: relaxed shoulders, slow breath, grounded feet.
Your brain gets a preview of success instead of stress.
5. The “Body Double” Reset for Sunday Nights
Productivity research shows that simply having someone nearby (even virtually) lowers procrastination and anxiety. If Sunday nights spiral into avoidance (laundry, meal prep, emails), try a “body double.”
Try this: Call a friend, join a coworking Zoom, or sit in a café. The quiet presence of others helps calm the anxious brain and makes tasks feel lighter.
When the Sunday Scaries Don’t Go Away
Occasional Sunday jitters are normal. But if every weekend feels hijacked by anxiety—racing thoughts, tension, even panic—it may be more than the “Sunday Scaries.” Therapy can help you build long-term tools for peace, confidence, and rest.
Anxiety Therapy in Ohio
At Ember & Oak Counseling, I help women untangle anxiety and perfectionism so they can enjoy their evenings again—without dread stealing the weekend. I offer in-person therapy in Worthington, Ohio, and virtual sessions across the state.
Book a free 15 minute consultation call today.