Flourish - Latest Edition - Flipbook - Page 32
Here are seven
practical things you
can do in the 昀椀nal
two hours of Sunday.
1. Create one genuine
moment of control
Choose one small action
that creates a real sense
of agency, such as making
a postponed decision,
completing a manageable
task or setting a boundary.
It does not need to solve
Monday’s biggest problem.
Research suggests that
perceived control can
reduce distress regardless
of how much actual control
we have over the larger
stressor. Keep the action
contained so Sunday does
not become an extension of
the working week.
2. Complete a 昀椀ve-minute “open
loops” exercise
Write down un昀椀nished tasks, questions,
conversations and anything you are
worried you may forget. You do not
need to solve or schedule everything.
Identify the 昀椀rst one or two things you
will address on Monday, then leave the
rest captured on the page. This creates
structure without trying to plan away
every unknown.
3. Check messages once, deliberately
If avoiding your inbox completely
makes you more anxious, use bounded
checking instead. Choose one time to
check your messages, set a clear limit
and decide beforehand what would
genuinely require action that evening. A
deliberate check provides information
and an endpoint. Repeated checking
provides only brief relief, teaching the
brain to seek reassurance whenever
uncertainty returns.
