How to Quiet the Sunday Scaries: Therapist-Backed Strategies for Moms

You know that feeling.

It creeps in around late afternoon on Sunday. The to-do list starts to spin in your mind, your stomach tightens, and the weight of the upcoming week settles in before you even open your Monday planner.

This, my friend, is the Sunday Scaries.

And while the name might sound a little cute, the impact on your nervous system, your mood, and your relationships? Not so cute.

If Sundays feel more like stress prep than soul reset, keep reading. Let’s talk about what’s really going on beneath the surface and what you can do to soften the edges of Sunday anxiety.

What Are the Sunday Scaries, Really?

The Sunday Scaries are that specific flavor of anticipatory anxiety that shows up as the weekend winds down. For moms, they often show up in sneaky ways:

• A sudden need to clean the house top to bottom

• Irritability with your kids (even when they’re not doing anything unusual)

• Feeling restless or checked out

• Doom-scrolling or distraction habits

• An internal monologue that sounds like: "I didn't get enough done," "I'm not ready," or "This week is going to be a disaster"

Underneath the surface, it's usually a combination of:

• Mental load pressure

• Emotional hangover from an overstimulating weekend

• Lack of transition time between "mom mode" and "life mode"

• Unprocessed anxiety about work, family, or just everything

The good news? There are ways to soften the spiral.

First: Normalize It

Let’s start here: If you dread Sunday evenings, you're not broken. You're not lazy. You're not doing motherhood wrong.

You're probably living in a culture that glorifies productivity, undervalues care work, and forgets that humans need actual rest not just a change of scenery.

So let’s take a deep breath and remove the shame. The Sunday Scaries are common. And they’re manageable.

Anchor Your Nervous System First

When anxiety creeps in, your nervous system is saying, "Danger ahead."

But here's the truth: You can't problem-solve from panic. You have to ground first.

Here are a few of my favorite therapist-approved grounding techniques:

Box Breathing Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat for 1-2 minutes.

5-4-3-2-1 Senses Check Notice 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste.

The Bare Minimum Reset Ask: What are the 1-3 most important things I actually need to be ready for Monday? Then let the rest wait.

These are small but powerful tools that bring your brain back online so you can respond instead of react.

Create a Sunday Transition Ritual

You don't need to overhaul your entire routine. Just a 10-30 minute ritual that signals to your body and brain: the weekend is complete, and you're allowed to ease into the week.

Some ideas:

• Take a solo walk (no podcast, just you)

• Light a candle and write out your top 3 priorities for Monday

• Journal about one win from the weekend

• Do a 5-minute stretch while your kids watch a show

• Listen to a calming playlist while tidying the kitchen

The key here is intention. A ritual isn't a checklist, it's a reset.

Ditch the "Perfect Monday Prep" Myth

I know the temptation. You want to start the week fresh, organized, ahead of the game. But that pressure? It feeds the spiral.

Instead of trying to do all the things on Sunday, try this reframe:

"What's the most loving way I can support myself right now?"

Sometimes that means packing lunches early. Sometimes it means going to bed and doing them in the morning. There is no gold star for burnout prevention.

Pick peace over perfection.

Tend to the Emotional Load

Sometimes the Sunday Scaries are about more than Monday.

They’re about:

• Unspoken resentment in your relationship

• Loneliness in motherhood

• Pressure to do it all perfectly

• Fear that you're always falling short

Therapy can help you name what’s really there. But even on your own, you can gently ask:

• What part of me feels unsafe or unseen going into the week?

• What do I wish someone would just know about what I carry?

• What boundary or permission would help me feel less anxious?

Clarity is a form of self-care.

A Gentle Sunday Plan (That Still Leaves Room to Be Human)

If you're looking for a rhythm that helps you feel less frazzled by 8PM Sunday night, here’s one you can make your own:

Morning: Something that fills your cup, even if it’s 15 minutes. Walk, coffee alone, FaceTime a friend.

Midday: Connection with your people. Family brunch, board game, snuggles on the couch.

Afternoon: Choose 1 prep task that eases your mind (meal plan, laundry, calendar review).

Evening: Calm downshift. Dim lights, bath or shower, screen-free 20 minutes if possible.

Not perfect. Just intentional.

You Deserve a Sunday That Feels Like a Soft Landing

Let’s be honest, motherhood rarely offers the long, lazy weekends we dream about.

But that doesn’t mean we have to dread Sundays.

With some gentle shifts, a few supportive tools, and a whole lot of compassion, you can create a Sunday rhythm that helps you feel anchored, not anxious.

Because you deserve to enter the week feeling steady. Not spun out.

And if the Sunday Scaries keep getting louder, or you know they’re connected to something deeper, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Let’s Talk About It

If you’re tired of starting every week with a pit in your stomach, let’s talk.

Therapy can help you:

• Get to the root of your Sunday anxiety

• Create realistic rhythms that actually support you

• Feel more emotionally regulated during transitions

I offer free 15-minute consults so we can talk through what’s going on and how I can support you.

Your nervous system matters.

You matter.

Let’s start where you are and work toward something that feels better, together.