We’ve all been there: Another weekend seemed to fly by without you even having a chance to blink, let alone get the rest and relaxation you so desperately need and deserve. The thought of having to wake up and repeat the same high-energy, high-stress routine in the morning has left a pit in your stomach. We like to call it the “Sunday Scaries;” that anxious feeling you get as the weekend winds down and the workweek looms.
I’ve been there too—athlete, trainer, business owner, dad—it’s the same no matter who you are. But one thing I’ve come to learn is that the Sunday Scaries really aren’t about Sunday at all. They’re much more about how you’re looking at your Monday.
Let me explain: If your brain has decided that Monday means chaos, stress, a never-ending to-do list that’s impossible to get ahead of, and a frazzled morning before the week even starts, you’re going to be in for just that.
My Mondays were just like this until I decided that they simply wouldn’t be anymore. What finally shifted things for me wasn’t a productivity app or a perfect morning routine (trust me, I have three kids)—it was changing the way I thought about Sunday.
Instead of treating it like the day before everything would get more stressful, more exhausting, and more repetitive, I reframed it to be the starting line that would send me off to have a great and productive rest of the week. I started using Sunday nights to encourage me to reset, refuel, and get a jumpstart on my priorities so that I’d wake up on Monday already feeling like I’m in control—not left behind.
And here’s the thing: You don’t have to overhaul your entire life to make this shift. It’s not about cramming more into your Sunday or turning it into another “day to get through.” It’s about making a few intentional changes that wind up making a huge difference, so that by the time your head hits the pillow, you already feel one step ahead instead of two steps behind.
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Read on to learn how I’ve learned to turn Sunday Scaries into Sunday wins:
1. I Swap “Weekend’s Over” for “Week’s Already Started”
There’s an unnecessary dread that comes from feeling like Monday is some sort of cliff you have to jump off.
I flip that script and instead try and treat Sunday evening like a smooth on-ramp. I try not to think of Sunday night as the end of all of the fun and relaxation and instead think of it as an opportunity to gain momentum so that when I wake up, I’m already in motion instead of stretching out the aches and pains.
Here’s what that looks like for me: I’ll knock out one or two light work-related tasks—i.e firing off that one email that’s been buzzing in the back of my brain all weekend, jotting down my top three priorities for the week, or laying out my Monday workout in my training app so it’s ready to go. Sometimes it’s as simple as making sure my kids lunches are packed, my own meals are planned, and my calendar doesn’t have any surprises waiting for me.
The magic here is twofold: first, you shrink Monday’s to-do list before it even starts. Second, you train your brain to associate Sunday night with control, not panic. All of this lets me go to bed with a lighter mental load, which means I’m waking up more rested, calmer and sharper.
2. Move Your Body Lightly
Chances are, you’ve heard about a little thing called “active recovery.” If not, let me be the first to tell you how incredibly important it is to your overall success. Active recovery means not lying on the couch all day watching Netflix on your day off from your exercise regimen. Instead, it means doing some form of movement—even a 15-20 minute walk, stretch, or yoga class—to keep you energized.
For me, it’s usually one of three things. I might take a light jog to get my blood moving, head out on a walk with my kids where we can actually talk and explore without screens or distractions, or do a focused mobility session that helps me shake off the stiffness from Saturday’s training.
The key is low intensity and high enjoyment—you should finish feeling looser, calmer, and more energized, not wiped out. Think of it as pressing the “reset” button on your body so your mind follows suit. Bonus: this small act makes it that much easier to stick to your Monday training because you’ve already kept the momentum going.
3. Plan Something You Actually Look Forward To on Monday
If your Monday involves a line-up of meetings, deadlines, and chores, of course you’re going to dread it. So why not switch things up? Instead of starting the week out with all of the things you don’t want to do, stack the deck in your favor by giving yourself at least one thing to wake up excited about—something that makes you want to get out of bed instead of hit snooze for the fifth time.
For me, that often means blocking out 45 minutes for a brand-new workout I’ve been itching to try, grabbing coffee with a buddy I haven’t caught up with in a while, or making my go-to power breakfast (eggs, avocado, and fresh sourdough) before the day gets away from me. Sometimes it’s even something smaller, like queuing up a podcast I’ve been saving for the school pick-up line or writing one of these blogs at my favorite coffee shop where there’s natural light and zero distractions.
The point isn’t to make Monday “special,” but to reframe it into something you actually look forward to instead of dread.
4. Cut Off the Noise
If you’re like most people these days, your Sunday night routine probably involves doom scrolling through your feeds or letting work emails creep in before Monday even arrives. Doing this is a surefire way to let the anxiety eat its way into your psyche. The information overload, the comparison game, the mental to-do list—it all fires up your brain when you should be winding it down.
These days, I try to set a hard cut-off. I leave my phone in the kitchen charging and head up to bed, with 30-60 minutes to spare before it’s “lights out.” Instead of staring at a screen minutes before bed, I’ll try to read a book or enjoy a conversation with my wife—something that lets my brain shift gears completely.
When I do this, I fall asleep faster, sleep deeper, and wake up feeling less like I’m already behind before the day starts. You can’t control everything about Monday—but you can control how you prepare for it, and cutting off the noise is one of the most powerful tools I’ve found.
5. Anchor the Night With a Ritual
Whether or not we realize (or want to admit) it, we’re all creatures of habit. That’s why a simple Sunday night ritual can be the thing that flips the switch from “weekend” mode into “ready-to-roll” mode without the panic.
For me, I try to take a warm shower that helps relax the muscles from the weekend’s training, make my protein shake so it’s ready to grab first thing in the morning, and lay out my workout clothes so there’s zero decision-making at 5:30 a.m. This kind of simple ritual sends my body and my brain a clear signal that the week has already started.
When you anchor your Sunday with a ritual you actually enjoy, it becomes less about “ending” the weekend and more about starting the week on your own terms. That’s the mindset shift that turns Sunday nights from anxious countdowns into calm, confident launchpads.
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