It’s Sunday afternoon, and even though it’s a sunny day and you’re relaxing and enjoying yourself, you can already feel it coming on: the Sunday Scaries. That feeling of unexplained irritability, inability to concentrate and stay present, a queasy foreboding feeling in your stomach…These are all signs that anxieties about the workweek ahead are getting the best of you. And in a way, your precious free time is being coopted by the workplace, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Except there IS something, you can do about it. You can get ready for Monday without giving half of your weekend over to queasiness, crankiness, anxiety and dread. And when you walk in the door on Monday morning, you can feel a little bit more like yourself…not someone facing a five-day jail sentence. Here’s how.

Breath deeply.

Breathing deeply for a few minutes and simply feeling and concentrating on your breath as it moves in and out can bring you back into the present moment and pull you away from the stressors of a future that hasn’t even happened yet. Just controlling your breathing for five minutes can bring you back into Sunday and leave Monday far away, where it belongs.

Take pleasure in small preparations.

Yes, you need to pack your lunch (and maybe lunches for other family members). And yes, you need to choose an outfit and do whatever else you need to do to get ready for Monday morning. But try not to view these little preparations as a sort of dismal ritual and instead, just take them step by step and find things about them to enjoy. For example, the fact that you have to pack a lunch for your wife and child may be a chore… but it also means you HAVE a wife and child who you love very much, and this little gesture offers an opportunity to demonstrate your love and appreciate the fact that they’re part of your life.

Remember what you like about your job.

Note that we said “like,” not love. If you force yourself to pretend or act like you LOVE your daily work, or feel “passion,” or a sense of deep, visceral commitment, you set the bar unrealistically high and only increase Monday morning feelings of dread and stress. Your job is a job. You do it for all kinds of reasons, and the reasons don’t have to include passionate love. Try to focus on the small details that bring you a sense of accomplishment, a sense of purpose, or a sense of camaraderie with your team. Then go back to step one, take a deep breath, and face the day with courage and grace.

For more on how to stride into Monday morning with your head high and your step light, turn to the workplace experts at Merritt. Contact us today.