Does a heavy feeling of dread start to build in your chest every single Sunday evening? You are not alone. In this deeply supportive 10-minute session, clinical hypnotherapist and former frontline paramedic Martin Hewlett breaks down the science behind the "Sunday Scaries"—a process known as anticipatory threat processing. Your intelligent brain is simply scanning the near future to protect you from upcoming workplace stressors, unanswered emails, and the week's demands.
The script
Transcribed from the audio, so the odd word may be off. Tap any line while it plays to keep the words in step with Martin's voice.
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. There are over 2,000 episodes in this library, everyone there to be explored and enjoyed, so do subscribe now and I'll be here again tomorrow. 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