You wake up on Sunday morning, well-rested and eager to start the day. Make your bed. Cook the best breakfast. Start on your Sunday morning chores. But as the hours wear on, a sense of dread begins to creeping in. Suddenly, all you can think about are the looming deadlines at work, the endless to-do list that’s waiting for you to complete (A pile of laundry perhaps?) and the fact that you have to go back to work in just a few short hours. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone— and there’s a scientific reason why this happens. Which is Sunday scaries.
Causes for this Sunday scaries
The science of anxiety is complex, but there are a few key factors that contribute to the Sunday scaries. First, when stressed, our bodies produce more of the hormone cortisol. This “stress hormone” is designed to help deal with dangerous or stressful situations by increasing the heart rate and blood pressure. In small doses, cortisol can be helpful. However when constantly stressed, the human body become overloaded with cortisol and we start to feel physically and mentally rundown.
Secondly, anxiety is often triggered by a fear of the unknown. When we’re facing an upcoming deadline at work or a big presentation, the thought of what could go wrong is often more stressful than the actual event itself. And on Sundays, when we know we have to go back to work in a few short hours, that feeling of dread can be all-consuming. It makes you want to worry and then goes on to make your Sunday it one of the most stressful days of the week. Even though its suppose to be the chill day.
Finally, anxiety is also closely linked to sleep deprivation. When the body does not get enough sleep, the body produces more cortisol and adrenaline— two hormones that are closely associated with stress and anxiety. So if you’ve had a sleepless night worrying about everything you have to do next week, it’s no wonder you’re feeling anxious on Sunday morning!
A bigger picture
A Sunday scaries may seem small but it can be related to something bigger. Mental health issues can begin with something as small as Sunday scaries. Mental health issues are often mistaken for being dramatic. It’s no secret that the state of mental health in America is in dire straits. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five adults in the United States lives with a mental illness, and only half of those adults receive treatment. What’s more, mental health conditions are on the rise, with depression rates increasing by 18% since 2005. Despite the prevalence of mental illness, however, our society still does not do a good job of addressing the issue. In fact, mental health isn’t the most spoken about topic.
Mental health should be a concerning topic. It’s an issue everyone needs to talk about. We need to start by destigmatizing mental illness and talking about it openly and honestly. People facing any kind of mental issue feel alone. They feel alone as they feel no one cares about there problem. There is no one to talk to about what you face. It could be because you feel no one will understand or that they have there own issues to worry about. This needs to change. There needs to be a society which accepts the importance of mental health.
Causes of this problem:
Mental illness doesn’t just happen overnight. It happens for many reasons. Some maybe silly to another and some maybe even considered stupid when said out loud such as these Sunday Scaries. We need to address the root causes of mental illness. Poverty, discrimination, trauma, and other stressful life experiences can all contribute to poor mental health. We need to address these underlying issues if we want to make any lasting progress in improving the state of mental health. So start small as with these Sunday Scaries.
So how to make it better?
Mental Health should be a made a priority like physical health. Take care of your mental health as it could raise you up or sink you down. By taking utmost care and doing whatever is necessary to protect it it could lead to a better life that you will want to lead. Do not keep it in and pile it up and make it worse for yourself. At one point you will explode and at that instance no help can get you out of the misery you are in.
Worst of all is our mental health care system. We need to invest more on health care for mental health. Overstretched services face severe workforce shortages while people’s needs are becoming more serious and more complex, partly as a result of the pandemic. We need to increase funding for mental health care so that more people can get the help they need.
The state of mental health in America is in dire straits, but it’s an issue that we can no longer afford to ignore. We must destigmatize mental illness, address the root causes of poor mental health, and invest in our mental health care system if we want to make any lasting progress. Even a small case of Sunday scaries may lead to bigger mental illnesses than can make your life a mess.
A small remedy that may help with the Sunday Scaries:
If you suffer from the Sunday scaries, there are a few things you can do to ease your anxiety. First, try to get enough sleep—aim for even to eight hours per night so your body has time to recover from the week’s stressors. Second, try relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation to help calm your mind and body.
Finally, make sure you’re taking care of yourself during the week so you don’t have as much to worry about on Sundays. Plan your week, strategize and conquer your week. Use your Sunday to kick back and relax with no worry in the world.
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