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We all know the feeling: that subtle change that begins sometime on Sunday afternoon. It’s the one where your mind starts to race and the softness of the weekend gives way to structure. I’m not immune to Sunday Scaries (although yes, I really love my job and my life). Still, there are nights when Monday feels less like a new beginning and more like a looming deadline.
In search of ways to replace that feeling of dread with something more grounded, maybe even a little anticipated joy, I checked out Camille Breathing Space’s post about her Sunday Night Toolkit. Her approach reframes the evening as sacred rather than stressful. Inspired by that philosophy, this guide is about how to create your own Sunday reset: simple, grounding rituals that calm your nervous system and help you start Monday feeling clear, intentional, and at ease.
What are Sunday terrors (and why do they happen?)
Sunday Scaries are not a personal flaw, they are a pattern. They are what psychologists call anticipatory anxiety: the stress we feel in response to something that has not yet happened. As the weekend ends, your nervous system senses a change coming. Structure replaces spontaneity. Deadlines replace downtime. Even positive responsibilities can cause a subtle increase in cortisol.
Add in a little unfinished work, an overbooked Monday schedule, or a weekend that lacked any real rest, and it makes sense that Sunday night can feel heavy. The good news? Once you understand why Sunday Scaries appear, you can design your evening so that it works with your nervous system instead of against it.
A Sunday Night Toolkit to Calm Sunday Fears
If Sunday anxiety thrives on transition, the antidote is intention. The goal isn’t to micromanage your night or create a hyper-optimized routine, but rather to gently guide you from weekend mode into the week ahead. Think of it as a set of tools, not a checklist. Rituals, not rules.
When Camille shared her Sunday night toolkit, what resonated most was the philosophy. Sunday can be sacred. It can be a bridge instead of a cliff. Inspired by that mindset, here’s how to create your own Sunday reset—some grounding practices that will help you clear mental clutter, regulate your nervous system, and come into Monday feeling prepared instead of pressured.
Start with an anchor
Before you reorganize your week or open your calendar, choose a ritual that marks the transition from weekend to weekday. An anchor does not need to be elaborate, just intentional. For many of us, that starts with dinner.
A hot, vegetarian meal that produces leftovers for Monday lunch can reduce decision fatigue before the week even begins. It can be about enjoying the ritual: chopping vegetables, stirring a pot, and setting the table. The act itself becomes the foundation. When Sunday includes something that is nourishing without being complicated, it softens the change ahead.
Quick victory: Choose a simple dinner that creates leftovers from Monday (soup, roasted vegetables, or a bowl of cereal) and double it. (You can explore our favorite Sunday dinner recipes here.)
Reset your space in 20 minutes
Sunday fears can often be triggered by the visual and mental clutter we carry into Monday. A thorough, deep clean is not the goal here. Think reset, not renew.
Set a timer for 20 minutes and focus only on what will make Monday morning feel lighter: wiping down the kitchen counters, unloading the dishwasher, tossing dirty clothes into baskets, sorting through the pile of mail, refilling the water jug. Small acts of order create disproportionate calm. When you wake up in an orderly space, your nervous system doesn’t immediately register chaos.
This is also a good time to prepare a small gift for Monday. Place your coffee cup, lay out your sportswear, or clean your desk so you’re ready to work focused.
Quick victory: Set a timer for 20 minutes and reset the three surfaces you’ll see first on Monday morning.
Small acts of order create disproportionate calm.
Create a relaxation ritual
If Sunday’s anxiety is about your body preparing for impact, a relaxation ritual is the way to signal that you’re safe. Going from weekend to weekday doesn’t have to be abrupt: it can be smoothed out.
Dim the lights. Take a hot shower or bath. Prepare a hot drink. Put your phone on Do Not Disturb and leave it in another room. Even small sensory cues (Epsom salts in the bathtub, a favorite candle, clean pajamas) can tell your body and mind that it’s time to shut down.
The key is consistency. When you repeat the same ritual every Sunday, your body begins to associate it with calm.
Quick victory: Dim the lights after dinner and put your phone on Do Not Disturb for the rest of the night.
Set intentions, not just to-dos
A long, chaotic to-do list may be the real culprit behind Sunday Scaries. When everything seems urgent, your brain remains in threat mode. The change is subtle but powerful: moving from reactivity to intention.
Instead of dumping all the tasks on one page, zoom out first:
- Identify one or two top priorities for the week, personally or professionally. What would make the week meaningful?
- List the smallest steps that support those priorities. Let your to-do list serve the bigger picture, not replace it.
- Write down worries that you can’t control. Naming them helps stop your brain from spinning.
When everything seems urgent, nothing seems justified. Priorities create calm.
Quick victory: Write down your top two priorities for the week before listing anything else.
Plan a soft landing for Monday
One of the biggest contributors to Sunday Scaries? A crowded Monday. When your calendar is packed with early meetings, intense workouts, and high-stakes decisions, your nervous system begins to strengthen the night before.
If you can, protect Monday morning. Keep it lighter than the rest of the week. Set aside time to work focused. Leave room for a slow coffee, a walk, or a few uninterrupted hours to get your bearings. Even changing one meeting can change the tone of the entire week.
When Monday seems spacious instead of punishing, Sunday stops feeling like a countdown.
Quick victory: Before going to bed, delete or reschedule a non-essential Monday commitment.
What makes Sunday terrors worse?
Sometimes relieving Sunday anxiety isn’t just about what you add, but what you remove.
- Monday excess baggage. A stacked calendar creates anticipatory stress before the week even begins.
- Doomscrolling at night. The news, emails, and social media keep your nervous system activated when it needs to shut down.
- Skipping real rest all weekend. If Saturday and Sunday were simply days of delayed productivity, your body would never fully reset.
- Unfinished work still visible. An open laptop or a messy desk tells your brain that it is “incomplete.”
- Decision overload. Starting Monday without a plan is often more stressful than having a simple, focused one.
Only awareness can change the tone. When you know what amplifies Sunday Scaries, you can smoothly design around it.
The takeaway
Sunday Scaries aren’t a personal failure: They’re a sign that your body and mind need a more thoughtful transition between rest and responsibility. When you treat Sunday night as a reset instead of a countdown, everything changes.
The goal here is not a perfect routine. Just a few intentional anchors: a cozy dinner, a quick reset of your space, a relaxation ritual, and a focused plan for the week ahead. Start there. And if you want to go deeper, Camille is complete. Sunday Night Toolkit It’s a beautiful place to start.
This post was last updated on February 22, 2026 to include new insights.
