Why Your Week Feels Overwhelming Before It Starts
Free Workshop on Sunday
There’s a common story people tell themselves when Sundays feel heavy and it’s that they’re anxious, unmotivated, or doing something wrong. That if they could just be more organized, more disciplined, or more positive, the week wouldn’t feel so overwhelming before it even begins. But I don’t think that’s true.
What I see over and over again (in my clients and in myself) is that Sunday Scaries are not a mindset issue. They are a nervous system response to the way our weeks are structured. They are a body-level reaction to systems that demand constant output, emotional regulation, and availability with very little room for rest or repair.
By the time Sunday evening arrives, many people are not relaxed or restored from the weekend. They are catching up, recovering, or trying to prepare. The body never fully comes down. And then we expect ourselves to flip a switch and enter Monday calm, focused, and ready. That expectation alone creates stress.
When the body anticipates a week that requires over-functioning, rushing, or self-abandonment, it starts bracing ahead of time. This is what shows up as dread, restlessness, irritability, or that familiar knot in the stomach on Sunday afternoon. It is not a personal failure. It is a protective response.
The problem is that we’ve been taught to respond to this bracing with more mental effort. We plan harder. We think through every possible scenario. We tell ourselves the week will be “crazy” or “a lot,” hoping that naming it will somehow help us manage it.
But rehearsing stress does not create safety. It teaches the nervous system that the threat is already here.
What actually shifts things is preparing differently. Not by adding more to the weekend, but by changing how we relate to the week ahead. That means slowing down enough to notice what the body is anticipating, regulating the nervous system before the week begins, and intentionally deciding how we want to move through our time instead of automatically reacting to it.
When people do this work, something subtle but important changes. They stop falling into the week and start walking into it. They make clearer decisions. They set better boundaries. They are less reactive and less depleted by Friday, even when their schedules are full.
Often, I work with clients to reduce unnecessary nervous system strain which gives their body a sense of agency and orientation. That alone can significantly change how a week feels.
This is exactly what we are practicing inside No More Sunday Scaries for the next four weeks. It is a space to slow down, regulate, and intentionally prepare for the week ahead in a way that supports your nervous system rather than overriding it. We focus on grounding, realistic planning, and creating a week that feels manageable instead of overwhelming.
If Sundays have been hard for you, just know that you are not broken, unmotivated, or failing at life. Your body is responding to real demands. And with the right support, you can learn how to meet the week differently.
New Workshops
Registration for both here: https://luma.com/calendar/cal-TrWRs8AwdoQHRnA
No More Sunday Scaries
is a free, gentle workshop for women who want to close the weekend feeling calm, clear, and grounded—rather than anxious about the week ahead.
We’ll start with a grounding meditation to settle your nervous system, followed by light coaching and simple intention-setting to help you enter the week with steadiness and focus. No pressure. No fixing. Just space to land, reset, and choose how you want to show up.
Come as you are. Leave feeling more resourced.
The NYT-Style Personal Essay: From Draft to Pitch
A 3-hour writing and strategy workshop
Personal essays don’t go viral or get published by accident. They work because they’re clear, emotionally grounded, well-structured, and pitched with intention.
In this 3-hour workshop, you’ll learn how to shape a lived experience into a compelling personal essay and how to pitch it to editors, especially at outlets like The New York Times, with confidence and clarity.
About Me
I’m Shanetta McDonald, a somatic life coach, writer, and veteran publicist who’s a guide for folks learning to live more fully in their truth. Over the past decade, I’ve helped shape the stories of changemakers, creatives, and mission-driven brands. Now, I help people—especially women—release perfection, reconnect with their bodies, and rewrite the narratives that no longer serve them.
Whether you’re a high-achiever learning to soften, a mother reclaiming herself, or a creative trying to find your voice again, you’re in the right place. My work is rooted in nervous system awareness, embodied storytelling, and the belief that your inner wisdom already knows the way.
Book your FREE introductory call today.