Time for a guided visualization exercise: How to squash the Sunday Scaries. Because maybe it’s Sunday night for you right now. Maybe tomorrow morning is already starting to creep into your mind.

The inbox.
The meetings.
The decisions.
The people.
The deadlines.
The things you know are waiting for you.

Or maybe it’s not Sunday at all.

Maybe it’s the middle of the workweek and you feel that same tightness in your chest.
That same mental swirl.
That same feeling of, “I don’t know if I have what it takes for everything ahead.”

So this episode is an invitation to pause. To come back to center. To remember that you do not have to solve the entire week tonight. You do not have to carry Monday before Monday arrives.

You do not have to be everything to everyone.

You simply get to breathe.
Choose what matters.
And take the next right step.

So, how does it work? Simple! Let my voice be a guide for you as you focus inward to help you tap into your inner wisdom and Intuition for answers.

Listen and participate in this guided visualization exercise: How to #dothething.

Before we get started, here are a few things that you’ll need to do in order to get the most out of this.

1. Create a safe space - no distractions or interruptions

First off, you’ll need to create a safe space where you won’t be distracted or interrupted… and also, keep in mind that during this exercise, you’ll have your eyes closed. So yeah, probably not best to do this one while driving.

Silence your phone notifications… The world can wait for the next few minutes.

Then, get comfortable in a seated position or lying down, if that feels better. You get to decide. As with all visualization and breathing exercises we do together this year, you always get to decide what is best for you… take what you need and release the rest.

Okay, now close your eyes or avert your gaze to the ground.

2. Take 3 intentional breaths together with me

Let’s take three intentional, life-affirming breaths.

• Deep breath in through the nose, expand the belly, hold at the top, and then slowly release through the mouth. (Do this three times.)

Now, let your breathing come back to a normal pace, whatever feels right for you.

3. Do a body scan and feel your feet

It’s time to do a body scan…  Imagine you’re slowly scanning your body from the top of your head… down past your shoulders…Through your arms… to your fingertips… All the way down your torso, hips, legs, and toes.

Notice any sensations — maybe tightness, softness, warmth, heaviness.
No judgment.
Nothing to fix.

Just noticing.

Once you’re at your feet, really take notice of what it feels like to have your feet make contact with the ground. To be firmly rooted down, the safety and security of that sensation. What do your feet feel like right now?

4. Time to visualize - How to squash the Sunday Scaries.

Now, with your eyes still closed, I want you to imagine it’s Sunday evening. The light outside is soft. The day is winding down.

You are standing at the edge of a quiet room. And in the center of this room, there is a small table. On this table is a basket. This basket is here to hold whatever you are carrying that does not need to come with you into this moment. So, one by one, begin to notice what is weighing on you.

Maybe it’s a meeting you’re nervous about. Place it in the basket.

Maybe it’s an email you haven’t answered yet. Place it in the basket.

Maybe it’s a conversation you’re avoiding. Place it in the basket.

Maybe it’s the pressure to prove yourself. Place it in the basket.

Maybe it’s the fear that you’re already behind before the week has even started. Place it in the basket.

You are not throwing these things away. You are not pretending they don’t exist. You are simply setting them down for a moment.

Because you are allowed to put down what you’ve been carrying.

Breathe.

Now, look around this quiet room.

Across from you, there is a window. Walk toward it. Outside the window, you can see the week ahead. But instead of seeing it as one giant mountain, notice that it begins to soften.

The week is not one giant thing.

It is just one day at a time.

One conversation at a time.

One decision at a time.

One breath at a time.

Breathe.

Now, imagine Monday morning arriving.

But this time, you are not rushing into it.

You are not bracing yourself.

You are not trying to control every outcome.

You are simply standing at the doorway of the new week with your feet grounded and your breath steady.

You look ahead and ask yourself:

“What actually matters most this week?”

Not everything.

Not all the things.

Just what matters most.

Let an answer rise.

Maybe it’s one project.
Maybe it’s one conversation.
Maybe it’s rest.
Maybe it’s clarity.
Maybe it’s asking for help.
Maybe it’s protecting your energy.
Maybe it’s doing less, but doing the right things.

Whatever comes up, just notice it.

No forcing.

No judgment.

Just listen.

Breathe.

Now, imagine holding that one priority in your hands.

Not the whole week. Just this one thing. Notice what happens in your body when you give yourself permission to focus.

Your shoulders drop.

Your jaw softens.

Your breath gets deeper.

The swirl begins to slow.

Because clarity is calming. You do not need a perfect plan.

You need a simple next step.

Breathe.

Now, imagine yourself moving through the first part of your workweek.

See yourself opening your laptop.

See yourself looking at your calendar.

See yourself reading the first few emails.

But this time, you are not letting every request become an emergency. You are steady. You are discerning.

You are allowed to pause before responding.

You are allowed to ask, “Is this urgent, or is it just loud?”

You are allowed to ask, “Does this align with what matters most?”

You are allowed to ask, “What is mine to carry, and what is not mine to carry?”

Breathe.

Now, imagine a moment this week where you usually feel pressure.

Maybe it’s a meeting.

Maybe it’s a tough conversation.

Maybe it’s a decision.

Maybe it’s just the moment when you look at your to-do list and think, “How am I going to get all of this done?”

See yourself in that moment. But this time, imagine placing one hand on your heart or one hand on your belly.

And silently saying to yourself:

“I am safe in this moment.”

“I can do hard things one step at a time.”

“I do not have to solve everything at once.”

Let those words land.

Not as something you have to force yourself to believe.

Just as a small truth.

A steady truth.

A truth you can return to when the week gets noisy.

Breathe.

Now, imagine a light above you.

Soft.
Warm.
Steady.

This light is not asking anything of you.

It is simply reminding you that you are more than your output.

You are more than your inbox.

You are more than your calendar.

You are more than how productive you are on any given day.

You are a human being.

With wisdom.
With breath.
With choices.
With limits.
With needs.
With strength.

And this week, you are allowed to move like a human.

Not a machine.

Breathe.

Now, gently return your attention to the basket on the table.

The things you placed there are still there. But notice something. They may look a little smaller now.

A little less sharp.

A little less powerful.

Because when you return to yourself, the Sunday Scaries lose some of their grip. You can choose what to pick back up. You can choose what can wait. You can choose what needs support. You can choose what is simply not yours anymore.

Breathe.

Now, imagine picking up only one thing from the basket.

Only one.

The thing that matters most.

Hold it lightly.

You do not have to grip it.

You do not have to conquer it.

You simply have to take the next right step.

Now, silently ask yourself:

“What is one small thing I can do to make tomorrow feel easier?”

Let the answer come.

Maybe it’s writing down your top three priorities.

Maybe it’s packing your bag.

Maybe it’s going to bed 30 minutes earlier.

Maybe it’s sending one clarifying message.

Maybe it’s moving one meeting.

Maybe it’s asking for help.

Maybe it’s letting something be good enough.

Whatever comes up, trust it.

Simple counts.

Small counts.

Gentle counts.

Breathe.

Now, take one final look around this quiet room.

Let yourself feel the steadiness of this moment.

You are here.

You are breathing.

You are not behind.

You are not failing.

You are not alone.

You are allowed to begin again.

Take one slow, grounding breath.

And when you’re ready… gently open your eyes.

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So, how did that feel? What came up for you?

I want you to set a 7-minute timer, grab a pen and paper, and take this time to write down everything you remember from this visualization exercise.

• What did you place in the basket?
• What felt heaviest before the visualization?
• What felt smaller or softer afterward?
• What is the one thing that matters most this week?
• What is one small thing you can do today to make tomorrow feel easier?
• What are you allowed to release, postpone, simplify, or ask for help with?

Answer as many of these questions as you like… or just focus on one. Whatever brings you the clarity you desire right now, you get to decide.

One final whisper

The Sunday Scaries are not a personal failure. They are often a signal.

A signal that something feels too heavy.
Too unclear.
Too loud.
Too much.

And when that happens, you do not need to shame yourself into being stronger.

You need to come back to center.

You need to listen.

You need to simplify.

Because the goal is not to walk into Monday with a perfect plan. The goal is to walk into Monday remembering that you have choices.

You can pause.
You can breathe.
You can ask for help.
You can protect your energy.
You can choose what matters most.
You can take one small step.

That is how you squash the Sunday Scaries.

Not by pretending work is easy.

But by remembering that you are capable.

You are wise.

You are allowed to do this week one breath at a time.

I hope this visualization sticks with you the entire week through. Do it again and again if you need clarity or fresh ideas to help your spirit feel refreshed once again… because when you tap into your deep inner knowing, you’re accessing the deep inner wisdom.

That electric energy that can be found inside all of us that connects us all together. It knows. You know. We all know if we are brave and we open ourselves to it.

You can do this, I believe in you.

It’s time to SIMPLIFY.

If this thought of the day inspired you...

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As always, please reach out, especially if you’ve got specific ideas or questions that you’d like us to cover on the podcast. DM me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesimplifiers) and let’s spark a conversation.

My book, Squash the Sunday Scaries: A Modern Playbook to Rebuild Trust, Transform Culture, and Reignite Your Workforce is out now and available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, plus your favorite indie bookstore. If you work in HR or are a people manager, this book is especially for you, to help improve the employee experience for your team and help others get back to thriving at work.

Learn more at: https://www.thesimplifiers.com/book and gift this book to your boss or your favorite HR person.

Thank you!

Show credits: Suzen Marie, our Podcast Editor and Jeffrey Lynn, our Video Editor. Plus, Aubri Williams, Chris Justice, and George Mills, our advisory board. And I’m your host, Mary Baird. Big love to Dennis Coleman, Kristen Kurtis, plus Mark and the team at Goodboy, as well as the folks in #TeamMary. Thank you so much for listening and telling your peeps about us.

As always friends, keep things simple.

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