The “Sunday Scaries” Solution: A Psychiatrist’s Plan for a Calmer Week
By Dr. Mona Amini, Psychiatrist & Founder of Mon’Vie Mind Wellness®
Sunday anxiety is often your nervous system forecasting stress. It is not weakness. It is pattern recognition. Your body has learned what Mondays tend to bring: pressure, pace, decisions, social demands, inbox volume, performance expectations. So even if nothing is “wrong” in the present moment, your system starts preparing for impact. That preparation can feel like dread, restlessness, irritability, racing thoughts, or a heaviness in your chest that makes it hard to enjoy the end of the weekend.
In a whole-person approach, the goal is not to “think positive” through Sunday night. The goal is to create signals of safety and structure so your nervous system stops treating Monday like a threat. The Sunday Scaries often happen when there is too much ambiguity, too little closure, and not enough recovery built into the week. Your brain is trying to solve the unknown in advance. It is scanning for what you forgot. It is imagining worst-case scenarios so you feel ready. Unfortunately, that mental rehearsal usually increases stress and disrupts sleep, which makes Monday feel even harder. It becomes a loop.
Next, create a Monday “soft landing.” Schedule one supportive thing: movement, a nourishing lunch, sunlight, a short walk between meetings, or a shorter meeting block. Start the week with regulation, not punishment. Many people try to “hit Monday hard” to prove they are on top of everything. That strategy often backfires because it reinforces the belief that Monday must be survived. A soft landing teaches the opposite: Monday is manageable. It also protects your nervous system from going from zero to one hundred, which is a common trigger for overwhelm and reactive behavior.
If you want support that’s both regulating and energizing, join us for Give Yourself Permission to Dance a body-based reset that helps discharge stress and reconnect you to ease before the week begins: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/give-yourself-permission-to-dance-tickets-1983466806612?aff=oddtdtcreator
Then set one weekly boundary. Choose something realistic and repeatable: no email after a certain hour, one protected morning, one meeting-free block, or one non-negotiable break. This is where people often underestimate the power of a single consistent boundary. Your nervous system learns through repetition. If there is one protected space each week where you are not on call, your body starts to anticipate relief. That anticipation is calming. It reduces the sense of endlessness that fuels Sunday anxiety.
If you want an extra layer of support, add two things that make a big difference. First, a sleep-protecting Sunday night routine: reduce screens, lower stimulation, and do something that tells your body it is time to downshift. Second, a “good enough Monday” mindset. Instead of asking yourself to win the week on day one, commit to one small win: show up, prioritize, and take care of your body. Calm confidence is built through many small Mondays, not one perfect one.
Over time, your nervous system learns: Monday is manageable. That belief becomes peace. And when peace becomes a habit, your weekends feel like weekends again.
Photo: A cozy Sunday evening scene with a planner open to Monday, a cup of tea, a simple outfit laid out, and soft lighting suggesting calm preparation rather than dread.
✨ Call to Action: If the Sunday Scaries are a weekly pattern for you, it may be time to support your nervous system more intentionally, not just push through. Mon’Vie Mind Wellness® is here to help you create structure that feels calming, boundaries that protect your energy, and confidence that does not rely on overworking.
And if you want a real-time nervous-system reset this week, join us for Give Yourself Permission to Dance a supportive space to move, exhale, and step into Monday with more ease: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/give-yourself-permission-to-dance-tickets-1983466806612?aff=oddtdtcreator
Book a Discovery Call to build a personalized plan for nervous-system regulation, boundaries, and confidence that feels calm instead of performative: https://calendly.com/-monaaminimd/discovery-call
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Bring Dr. Mona Amini to Speak on mental health aligned leadership, burnout prevention, and soft power communication skills: https://monviemindwellness.com/speaking
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A simple plan that helps your body feel safer before Monday:
Closure: write your top 3 open loops and give each one next step. Anxiety hates ambiguity. Clarity calms.
A Monday soft landing: schedule one supportive thing, movement, a nourishing lunch, or a lighter meeting block.
One weekly boundary: no email after a certain hour, one protected morning, or a non-negotiable break.
Over time, your nervous system learns: Monday is manageable. That belief becomes peace.
