Swapping Anxious Sundays For Restful Sundays

I was about ready to curl up in bed and take a long overdue afternoon nap. 

It had been a little cooler last weekend and I’d been feeling slower than usual. We went out for an exercise walk that morning but only got ten minutes far and I wanted to sit and chill with the pigeons on a patch of grass. 

That felt like enough for me. 

It’s so tempting to keep pushing but I know how much better my body feels after some well needed go-slow time. 

Are you going slow today?  

It’s one of my favourite things about Sundays in particular. There’s this lingering “permission” in the air to take things at a whole new pace. 

But, there’s this other thing about Sundays that used to really grip at me. 

I’ve heard people call it all sorts of things. The Sunday scaries was one way I heard it talked about recently.  

For me, it was more about this growing dread. Like a pit in my stomach. Feeling a bit anxious but not really knowing why. 

At the time it was because I was so stressed out at work I was sure there was already something I had missed, forgotten about, or dropped the ball on. So the pit started early, like it was getting a headstart for me on my week. 

There was something else about it too, it was like a frustration with myself for feeling like the weekend was “over already”. Like I’d somehow wasted it and not giving myself exactly what I needed. 

Whether that be rest, or sitting quietly with my own thoughts and figuring out what my next “moves” were going to be. 

I felt a little silly for even feeling the way I did. Like I somehow didn’t “deserve” to feel unsatisfied. From the outside looking in, things were actually really good in my life! 

Inevitably I’d end up in that Sunday wobbly battle. My head racing telling me to calm down whilst at the same time telling me get more done. 

Have you ever experienced that? 

Why am I telling you about all of this? Well, partly because I want you to know you’re not alone if you’re feeling that right now (or if you ever have). 

And partly because I’m reminding myself to listen to my body and rest because I’m in charge of how I get to feel on my Sundays (and everyday) now.