The Healthyish Guide to Sunday

When I was a kid, Sunday was the very best day of the week. My sister and I would eat pancakes and bask in the double spread of newspaper comics—in color, no less. So when I grew up, I felt cheated when a new emotion appeared on Sunday evenings: anxiety. I’m not alone here—the term “Sunday Scaries” is used so frequently to describe the end-of-the-weekend blues that there’s even a CBD company named after it.

Then last year, I had a revelation. If Sunday—the day, the concept, the activities—made me feel anxious, why not get rid of it all together? The solution was simple: Treat Saturday like Sunday, and Sunday like Saturday. I’ve spent the better part of a year front-loading my errands and obligations onto Saturday (grocery shopping, laundry, house chores), where they’re mellowed by the promise of a full weekend ahead. Then I pack Sunday full of fun activities: I’ll go to a flea market, invite friends over for a low-key dinner party, or dance out my jitters at Mister Sunday, an all-ages party that proves Sundays are meant for disco balls and BBQ.

There’s still one Sunday ritual that I’ll always follow: waiting in line for bagels. Some things are sacred.
—Aliza Abarbanel, Healthyish editorial assistant