Calm Your Sunday Nerves

This meditation is your antidote to the Sunday Scaries. In just a few minutes, it helps shift you out of anxious, future-focused thinking and into a grounded, present state. Through breathwork, gentle nervous system regulation, and a reminder of your resilience, this practice helps you reclaim your Sunday evening with calm and clarity. You’ll be guided to let go of unhelpful mental rehearsal and instead focus on what nourishes you now, so you can rest well and meet Monday with steadiness, not stress.

Transcript

It's Sunday evening and that familiar feeling is creeping in.

I'm Mary and I know exactly what you're experiencing.

The low-level dread about Monday morning,

The mental rehearsal of everything that could go wrong this week.

They call them the Sunday scaries and they're incredibly common.

Your nervous system is trying to prepare you for perceived threats but it's creating more stress than protection.

Let's shift your nervous system from anxiety about the future to grounded presence in this moment.

First,

Remind yourself where you are right now.

Look around your space.

Notice five things you can see,

Four things you can touch,

Three things you can hear.

You're safe in this moment.

Sunday evening is still your time.

Now let's address the churning in your stomach or the tightness in your chest.

Three calming breaths,

Each one longer on the exhale.

Breathe in for four,

Three,

Two,

One.

And out for six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Breathe in for four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Breathe out for six,

Releasing tomorrow's worries,

Two,

One.

Breathe in for four,

Three,

Two,

One.

And out coming back to Sunday evening for six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Breathe in for four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Trusting your ability to handle whatever comes,

Breathing out for six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Here's what your anxious mind doesn't want you to remember.

You've successfully navigated thousands of Monday mornings.

You've handled difficult weeks before.

You have skills,

Resources and resilience that your Sunday anxiety is temporarily forgetting.

Instead of rehearsing everything that might go wrong,

Let's do something different.

Think of one thing you're actually looking forward to this week.

Maybe it's a lunch with a colleague,

A project you're excited about,

Or simply Friday afternoon.

Your week isn't going to be perfect and that's okay,

But it also won't be the disaster your Sunday anxiety is predicting.

For the rest of your Sunday evening,

Practice what I call Sunday Sanctuary Time.

Engage in something that genuinely nourishes you,

Whether that's reading,

Cooking,

Talking with loved ones or simply resting.

You don't need to solve Monday's problems on Sunday night.

You don't need to be mentally prepared for every possible scenario.

You just need to trust that you'll handle tomorrow when tomorrow comes,

The same way you've handled every other Monday before.

Rest well.

Monday will take care of itself.