Sunday Scaries, A Cure for Anxiety & The Importance of Subtraction

Overcoming the Sunday Scaries

The Sunday scaries are the result of having anxiety about the coming Monday, which in turn is caused by having a pre-determined expectation for what the day will hold.

At some point or another, there appears to have been collective agreement that Mondays are inherently bad, despite the lack of evidence to support this claim.

However, when analysing this expectation in more detail, it becomes immediately apparent that this is illogical. Monday is simply one day of seven. It is neither good nor bad, it simply is.

Adopting this alternative perspective can help you realise that in reality, you never know what tomorrow will hold.

Grounding: A Cure for Anxiety

I have historically struggled with anxiety and worry, so much so that I sought therapy earlier this year. During these sessions, I learnt about the grounding technique, which would change my life forever.

The idea is simple, almost insultingly so. You select a small object, for me a 'thinking egg', and you hold it in your hand whenever you start to feel anxious or worried.

In these moment, the object serves one purpose: reminding you that you're in the present moment. But how does it work?

Anxiety tends to be a future focused emotion and generally occurs when our mind is focused on something yet to happen. As such, the physical presence of the object serves to remind us of where and when we are, thus bringing our mind back to the present and reducing the sense of anxiety that we feel.

Self-Improvement: Focus on Subtraction, Not Addition

One common mistake people make with self-improvement is exclusively focusing on addition, such as building new habits, adopting new behaviours and acquiring different routines.

This is a mistake and a one-way road to burnout.

Instead, focus should be placed on maintaining balance and ensuring that for each addition, there is a subtraction elsewhere.

Reading Notes

A collection of my favourite articles, Twitter threads and newsletters from this week, annotated with my highlights and thoughts.

• 10 Learnings From a Mastermind - Sahil Bloom

• Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule - Paul Graham

• The Seeking Paradox, Makers vs. Managers - Sahil Bloom

Ending Quote