Outsmart the Sunday ScariesHow to stop the Sunday Scaries from stealing your weekend — and your life

How to stop the Sunday Scaries from stealing your weekend — and your life

Outsmart The Sunday Scaries

You’ve felt it too, haven’t you?

That low-grade dread. The quiet anxiety that creeps in sometime around Sunday afternoon. It's not loud enough to scream, but it’s strong enough to steal your peace.

You look at the clock, feel the miserable pull away from life and into your To-Do List, and then retreat to a world of memes, online gossip, and clickbait headlines on social media. And suddenly, the weekend you waited all week for… is gone.

The Sunday Scaries hit hardest when you’re already stretched thin. When your to-do list feels endless, your inbox feels like its fighting against you not for you, and your sense of self-worth is stretched under the tension of how much you can squeeze out of each workday vs. when do you find time just to be a human being.

Me thinking about how tired I'm going to be tomorrow.

I know this feeling intimately. I’ve had Sunday evenings where I’d lay motionless other than a overactive thumb scrolling as I’m bracing myself for the week ahead like I was walking into battle. Not because I hated my job, I actually love my work as a TV Producer, but because I didn’t feel in control of my life. Because Monday showed up like an unexpected wave I wasn’t ready to surf.

The truth is, most of what we call the Sunday Scaries isn’t just about work. It’s about uncertainty.

Questions spinning in your head like:

· What am I forgetting?

· Am I falling behind?

· Is this week going to crush me?

The fear comes from not knowing. From feeling unprepared. And most of all, from feeling like you’re just living the same week over and over — waiting for life to start after work ends.

Sunday Scaries

But what if that didn’t have to be your story?

Here’s something I’ve learned: athletes don’t fear game day because they have a game plan. They watch film. They study tendencies. They know their plays. There’s confidence in preparation.

You deserve the same.

Moment of reflection in Maldive 2024

Every Sunday, I’ve started doing a personal “reset” — not to plan a perfect week, but to reclaim my power over it. I don’t just ask what I need to do. I ask what I need to stop doing. What matters most. What can wait. Who I want to show up for, including myself.

Because life is more than productivity, it’s presence. It’s awareness. It’s connection.

You weren’t built to grind for five days just to escape for two. You’re allowed to want more than that. You’re allowed to seek purpose in your work and connection in your personal life. To feel successful and human.

But that kind of life doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intention and it takes reflection. And many times, it takes support.

I have been a big believer in having powerful men around me whether that is through work with Alcoholics Anonymous, LA Men’s Group, or my cigar buddies. I truly stand behind “Iron Sharpens Iron,” and know that having a community of supportive men in my life has been transformational.

This is why I created Sunday Solutions.

It’s a drop-in style weekly group coaching space designed for men who are ready to take back their Sunday nights — not by numbing out, but by getting clear. You’ll build a rhythm of reflection, intention, and connection so that Monday becomes a launchpad, not a letdown.

You don’t have to white-knuckle your way through the week. You can prepare with purpose. You can choose a new story.

And maybe, just maybe, your next Sunday won’t feel so scary.

Message Phillip for details on Sunday Solutions group

Original post: https://open.substack.com/pub/phillipbarbbcoaching/p/outsmart-the-sunday-scaries?r=u02z&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

About Phillip Barbb

I’m a performance coach, Emmy-nominated television producer, and someone who knows what it feels like to be successful on paper but restless in spirit. Through this newsletter, I write for high-achieving men in their late 20s to late 30s who feel stuck between the life they built and the one they actually want.

If you're tired of playing it safe, stuck in routines that don’t fulfill you, and craving clarity, purpose, and momentum, you’re in the right place.

Every week, I share real stories, sharp insights, and small, practical steps to help you lead yourself first — with honesty, courage, and heart.

Phillip Barbb