You know that sinking feeling all too well—the weekend's winding down, and Monday is right around the corner. And you are absolutely dreading it.

The thought of a full week of work ahead feels overwhelming, doesn't it? You can’t help but wonder what happened over the weekend that you'll have to tackle on Monday.

The uncertainty of the week ahead can leave you spiraling.

You wish you could just turn it off. The weight of the week ahead is robbing your joy on Sunday.If you crave a sense of calm on Sundays, then check out these tips.

1. Plan Ahead: Carve out 30 minutes at the end of the workday on Friday to make your to-do list for the next week. By looking at what’s on the schedule for the week ahead ahead of time, you're proactively addressing tasks and reducing the mental load that typically plagues Sundays.

Make it part of your end-of-the-week plan so you can spend less time thinking about it on Sunday and step into Sunday with clarity and a fresh start knowing exactly what you'll be focusing on that week.

2. Find Joy in Mondays: Can you find a way to look forward to Monday? Maybe pick-up a Vanilla Latte from Starbucks or go out to lunch with a coworker. Schedule after-work activities like book club or pickleball on Mondays to help you look forward to something after work.

3. Change Up Your Sunday Routine: Many people wait until Sundays to do their weekly chores like laundry and get groceries. This can make Sunday feel like less of a “fun day” and leave you feeling overwhelmed with things to do instead of enjoying the day for relaxation. 

So make a tweak in your week and change up grocery shopping day to Wednesday or some other day in the week so it’s not all piled up on the weekend.

4. Embrace Sunday as a Fun Day: Live your Sunday like it's a Saturday. Sometimes, we have the mindset that we can’t do fun things on Sunday because we need to “get ready for the week.” But what if we allowed ourselves to enjoy Sunday like Saturday? Sometimes we unintentionally trap ourselves by telling ourselves we need to be home early that day. But who says you have to?

5. Put Yourself First: If you're worrying about the tasks at work you'll be returning to, practice reminding yourself that your life is bigger and more important than work. You are more than your job and you deserve all the time off you get. 

Putting yourself first means enjoying your Sunday and not letting work infiltrate your limited free time. The work will be there for you tomorrow.

6. Incorporate Mindfulness: If you find it hard to stop thinking about work, try incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine. Mindfulness is like exercise for your brain to help you stay in the present moment.

 It’s normal for minds to drift, but mindfulness will help you become more aware of when that happens and be able to redirect your attention back to the present moment.

So if you’re tired of letting the Sunday scaries dictate your mood and productivity, pick 1-2 of the tips from this blog and put them into action.

Need more tips on handling anxiety? Check out our Live More, Worry Less guide for 5 of our favorite strategies to get relief from anxiety.