It arrives every week, same time, same feeling, Sunday evening.
The weekend is closing, the week is waiting and somewhere in your chest a quiet drape begins
to build.
You might call it the Sunday Scaries, you might not have a name for it at all, you just
know that by early evening, the piece of the weekend is gone, replaced by a low hum of
anxiety that you can't quite switch off.
I'm going to tell you exactly why this happens and then I'll walk you through how to stop
it.
This is calming anxiety, I'm Martin, clinical hypnot therapist and former frontline
paramedic and this session was made for right now this evening.
If you're new here, welcome.
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Right, let's begin.
Find your quiet place now where you won't be disturbed, somewhere comfy, sitting or lying
your choice but let your hands rest open.
Here is what's actually happening on Sunday evenings and I want you to hear this clearly
because understanding it is the first step to releasing it.
Your brain does something called anticipatory threat processing, it scans the near future
and flags potential stresses, a difficult meeting, the unanswered email, the week's demands,
it does this to protect you, it thinks it's helping.
But what it actually does is pull you out as a present moment, the only place where you
are actually safe and drops you into an imagined Monday morning that hasn't even happened
here.
As a paramedic, I understood very quickly that the nervous system cannot tell the difference
between a real threat and a vividly imagined one.
Sunday evening anxiety is your nervous system responding to a week that does not yet exist,
so let's bring you back to now.
We'll use the 426 Bakel breathing in for 4, hold and pause for 2 and then a long, slow
out for 6.
That extended outpress is key, it tells your nervous system, you are safe, there is no
emergency here.
Ready?
Here we go, in 2, 3, 4, pause 2, out 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, excellent.
Let's do that again, ready with me?
2 3 4 home 2 exhale 2 3 4 5 6 in 2 3 4 home 2 release 2 3 4 5
home 2 release 2 3 4 5 6 now let your breathing settle let it find its own
natural rhythm don't force it now I want you to do something really simple I
want you to notice what's actually in front of you right now the way to the
chair or the bed beneath you the temperature of the air the sounds of the
room this room this moment not Monday here Sunday evening anxiety lives in the
future calm lives within you right now let's go a little deeper allow the way
to the week ahead to become just a little less important for the next few
minutes you're not abandoning your responsibilities you are choosing
deliberately to step out of the anticipation loop so let these words find the
part of you that needs them the most I am here right now that is enough
the week has not started I am safe in this moment
I release what hasn't happened yet Sunday evening is mine it belongs to rest
I face each day as it comes and I am capable
stay here nothing needs your attention right now on the next out breath
truly feel the muscles loosen and lengthen and drift even deeper into the
surface beneath you and then once more visualize these words in your thoughts
and repeat I am here right now and that is enough
the week has not started I am safe in this moment
I release what hasn't happened yet
Sunday evening is mine it belongs to rest
I face each day as it comes and I am capable
now truly let yourself unwind reach out with your thoughts appreciate every
part of all that you are your toes your legs your abdomen your back your shoulders
and your beautiful mind drift deeply now within the century of your
consciousness you are worthy and you are ready and take this feeling this
sense of balance and true appreciation for all that you are here your three
daily caring tips one give the dread a time limit if Sunday anxiety arrives
acknowledge it don't fight it then say to yourself I will think about this at 8 a.m. on
Monday morning not now you're not avoiding it you're scheduling it the brain
accepts this far better than suppression and it frees Sunday evening back to you
to do one small pleasant thing before bed not to distract to anchor make a cup of
something warm put music on step outside for a few minutes of air one small
act of caring for yourself tonight sends a powerful message to the nervous
system this evening is safe and three come back to this session Sunday evening
anxiety response repetition the more your nervous system hears this message you
are safe the week can wait right now is enough the faster it learns to believe
it save this episode come back next Sunday I'll be here and bookmark it within the
anchored app now wiggle your fingers and toes and bring your awareness slowly back
into the room around you take that deep breath in now and then as you breathe
out stretch out the muscles in your arms and legs and then open your eyes
thank you my friend for joining me on our shared journey of self-improvement and
positivity if this session helped you in any way I ask just one thing please
share it one person one message one moment of kindness passed forward every
share brings us to someone who might be sitting with that same Sunday evening
dread alone not knowing that help is only 10 minutes away the full anxiety
circuit breaker program is at calming anxiety dot fm and if you'd like to be part
of building anchored or dedicated app then visit calming anxiety dot fm forward
slash anchored thank you smile often positive whenever and in everything
be kind