I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders, past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. Welcome to Stepping Up the podcast where we explore all things organization, mental health, routines, personal.
Development, motherhood and health.
I'm your host, Steph Pace, and I'm the woman behind Just Another Mummy blog and also the founder of Steph Pace Planners. But I can assure you this is not just another podcast online. I'm known for my organization tips and tricks and the occasional banter, but it definitely wasn't always this way. I used to be a hot mess and occasionally still am. And I'm here as your honest and real friend each week to show you how I turn my life of chaos into clarity.
Between the house, health, kids.
Work, and wanting to be the best version of yourself, it can be overwhelming, and I'm here to give you the tools and tips to stop you feeling like a slave to your daily tasks, home life, and especially the expectations you have on yourself.
Join me as I share my.
Journey and insights into the art of balancing at all and speak to guests who can help us all live a better life. Whether you're looking to streamline your daily routines, bosh your wellbeing, achieve your fitness goals, diamondto personal development, or find inspiration to step up into the best version of yourself, We've got you.
So are you ready to step up your game? Let's go.
Hello, guys, and welcome back to Stepping Up.
I have had a pretty decent day to day. Actually, I want to say, I feel like the last couple of episodes, I've been a bit of a wingy little Nancy I was another.
Word, but I'm not. But today it started off not so great.
But here I am. I've felt like I've gotten some things done. I'm going to spend the afternoon with the kids. The sun's out, my guns are out.
God.
I talk some shit on here, honestly, I really do. And I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the love. I actually have been reading your reviews lately and they are just so beautiful. So I thought something fun for this episode is and I can keep doing it if you guys like it is. I want to start reading a couple of reviews so you can hear yours. You write a really nice one, please do. As I mentioned last week, this is a independently run podcast.
I literally just started this podcast to help so when I see these types of messages and comments to something that I do work so hard on and it's something that's not like a paid thing or anything like that, it's actually the other way. A pay for it and we work really hard to bring it to you guys. So I would really appreciate it if you guys would subscribe on either Spotify or Apple and share with your friends, because it will help me keep talking in your ear
and giving you tips and things. All right, So I really want to read this review to you, guys because it was so beautiful.
All right.
So this one is from Susie and she posted it on a Monday, which was actually last week. Steph, your podcasts are truly remarkable. Your honesty and rawness shine through in every episode, offering inspiration and comfort during tough times. Your genuine and heartfelt content has been a lifeline for me, with several episodes replayed multiple times to help me get through challenging days. I'm going to get emotional. Your ability to connect and uplift listeners is unparallel and making these
podcasts an invaluable source of support and motivation. I jumped straight onto it first seeing when you drop them on Monday morning to set up my week. Thank you so much, Sus, Thank you Sus. That is just honestly, I swear guys, I did not write that about myself. That is a killer comment, Like, isn't that just beautiful? Gonna give me a big head, Sus. Sus is a legend, you know how I always talking about Sally.
Sorry, if this is a really cool Sally out there, I know there is a lot.
Sus is going to be the name I use now for like the hero of the story. Anyways, quick house update before I get stuck into today's episode. The driveways are paul and the pool fences are up and it's looking like an actual house.
Now.
I cannot wait. We're not going to know ourselves after we've lived in the unit to go into that house. And the kids are really ready to go now, like they're just they're done here. They're sick of share in a bedroom. If I knew I wouldn't have put a podcast studio on here. Now I'm kind of stock, but they're okay.
I set it all up.
I've got really cool storage happening in there. Maybe I'll do like an episode on kids' storage or something. Let me know what the vibe is. But yeah, yeah, it's basically like a boxing ring here at the Pace Household, and not too fun because they're up in each other's grill and they need space, especially Harper. She's a very loud personality and Willow's a bit more. She just kind of likes to play. And you know, they both get crazy though both of them. It's either one or the other,
isn't it. Anyways, I just wanted to give you that update. And we've still been filming that house series, and I showed a bit of behind the scenes on my YouTube channel the other week of me literally just having a brain fart.
I was terrible.
Anyways, That's not what I'm talking about here today. Today, I'm going to be talking to you guys about the Sunday Scaries. Now, I'm sure you've heard this term thrown around, especially by me. Sometimes i'll post a routine or I'll talk about it myself. And this is something I really wanted to talk about because lately especially I have been really bad. I wouldn't even call mine the Sunday scaries.
I would call it the weekend worries. So as soon as even Friday night hits, you know, because I'm running a million miles an hour during the week.
You guys know what season I'm in. I'm working hard to you know, get out of that.
But then as soon as the weekend comes and I do work over the weekend, but a lot less, I just get this feeling that I have had my whole life, but just that I'm running out of time, that I'm running out of time to be present with my family and have fun and just like unplug from work so much so that I actually don't end up being present and I don't end up, I guess, really unplugging mentally, because that's all I'm thinking about. Like I was getting so bad, guys, that I was having panic attacks.
I've gone a lot better.
The last two weeks, but yeah, it's been really hard, and it actually reminds me. If you've listened to my very first episode, I kind of give you a bit of a crash course on my life and all the things.
I'm not a lot in my.
Thirty three years, but it reminds me of how bad my anxiety was. I have to get up really early to work at Subway. I made really good subs. The BMTs were my favorite. Anyway, I'm talking shit now because I've always been a bad sleeper the night before because I used to get at like four thirty, because I would open the store, I'd bake the bread and cookies and all that type of thing. I would physically be that anxious that I would physically vomit the night before
my shift. Sorry to be descriptive, but that's the only way I can put it. And it reminded me of that, just that feeling of just dread. And it's weird because I love what I do. I love what I do so much, but you're any one person, and we can't be doing all the things all the time, and we all do that. Of course, everyone's always going to have people out there that have it way worse. But the thing is that is your reality, and you shouldn't downplay that either. Say you're a stay at home mum, which
again is like the hardest job in the world. Be thinking I shouldn't be feeling this way because I've got a week of school drop offs, pickups, lunches, school sports, amongst everything else you have to do with the HEW like it's twenty million jobs for you guys.
Us.
Well, I'm not a stay at home anymore, but you know what I mean. I was you shouldn't be thinking that, like, I'm not allowed to feel this way. Everyone is valid and feeling however they feel. Is the first thing I want to say now, because I'm Steph. I've even made you guys a really handy, downloadable checklist for yourselves as well, and that is going to be your stepping stone for
this week. I want you to complete this. Make sure you listen to the end of the episode, because I'm going to be giving you a very, very detailed itinery for your Sunday, Like I'm going to be telling you exactly what to do, and it's going to set you up for a fantastic week. Sunday Scaries or not. Now, I haven't even addressed the elephant in the room for some of you that don't know what it means, but basically, the Sunday scaries is the feeling of anxiety or dread
for the week coming up. So a lot of people do get it on a Sunday, hence why they call it Sunday scaries. For me, I get it pretty much all weekend, and it is really common amongst people who feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities and the tasks ahead. We tend to kind of think of all the things, you know, when you think of all the things instead of step by step. It's like that but on steroids, really, and obviously it's going to be different for everyone. People will
feel different ways. It's just like anxiety. For me, I really feel my anxiety in my chest, like I feel like something's sitting on my chest. I can't breathe. Some people get an upset stomach, that type of thing. Now,
as I said, this is a just a workers. This is just stay at home parents, stay at home people that are juggling all the things, which is everyone, and it is something that can manifest in a lot of different ways, and a manifests in a way that's physical and mental or a mix depending on how you are.
But it can be different anxiety symptoms such as a sense of dread like I said, resentment or anger, which I've definitely felt an upset, stomach difficulties, sleeping headaches, restlessness, irritability. Definitely feel that one, a sense of unease, and maybe I've had this before where I'm like, what is wrong with me? I just felt so uneasy on the weekends, and then it was escalating and then I realized what
it was. And then the last one that is intrusive and unwanted thoughts about the upcoming week that you can't shake. So for me, I can really think worst case scenario for anything. It could be a meeting coming up or something that I need to have done, and I will think it's going to be shit blah blah blah. And I'm my own boss and I'm thinking like that, you know what I mean. And it's not just you and
me that feel this way. According to a LinkedIn survey, eighty percent of workers say they experience the Sunday scaries, with over ninety percent of millennials and gen Z reporting they feel it. It can be really heavily based on your generation. Now, I looked into this because I'm actually quite interested. My initial thought before I looked into it and before I read it to you is it's because I guess.
For us we've grown up with.
You know, when we were younger, we didn't have social media, we weren't contactable.
For us to talk to our friends, we have.
To like bloody get the cord phone and then be like, hi, missus, Bob, is Sue's there, because Sue's my best friend.
Now sus is Sue's home, And you'd have.
To like talk to an adult before you'd have to get to talk to your friend like that takes some balls, and now we're all pussies that kind of answer the bloody phone. I can't anyway, sorry for saying the P word, but I did, and they did say it's the rising technology and shift to an always on, hyper connected modern workplace and just world in general, there's like very much blurred boundaries between work and personal time. And according to his son as twenty twenty two study indexing, I'm very
scientific here. Over half of workers feel like they need to respond to their notifications immediately. And I've always been someone that I have to reply straight away. So years ago I turned off my email notifications on my phone. I've turned off my Slack all those things because they're just going all the time for me. So now I have dedicated times twice a day, and that's what I do. And it's very much so the rise of that hustle culture.
I feel like we've really seen it. Like I know, our parents' generation was very much about like hard work. The only way you can be successful is if you do follow this path like go to UNI, work your ass off kind of thing. Where now there's other avenues that are open, which is fantastic, like social media, which is what I do.
But again, when do you clock off? And how Now?
In saying all of that, I created my own Sunday routine. And this is not like a Sunday reset well because you can kind of call it one, but it's not the typical stuff you see.
This is to help you.
With your anxiety, clear your brain fog, get your mind sorted for the week ahead, and also have the downtime. So this isn't going to be like me telling you, all right, you gotta get up at three o'clock with bloody Sally who's already hyped up a mountain this morning and she's made fresh blueberry jam.
What am I saying?
I talked some shit on this podcast and I anyway, so I need to get some guests on. Guys, I just need to get some guests on so I have someone to talk to. All right, back to your routine, definitely for me, because I do like to get up at five. I do try to stay close to this time on the weekend, but if I'm exhausted, like last weekend, I slept in as much as I could into the kids came in. I just got out of bed when I was ready, or when Willow was screaming in my face.
So I want you on your Sunday morning to start with slow. I want you to think no alarm, and I'm hoping your phone's not next to your bed because you need to listen to me. So I want you to wake up gently whenever your body naturally does or your kids are pulling your hair out of your head, And I don't want your rushing out of bed. I want you just like to lay there for a little bit, because when do you ever get to do that? Like
I don't ever get to this laid bed. So I want you just to lay there for a little while. But I do not want you on your phone. We're not going on our phone. We're not doing that. Talk to your kids, talk to your husband because we all know and I will link the episode below. How much it f's you up when you go on your phone for the first hour of the day. It is really bad, especially for dopamine. As soon as you do that, you're seeking out more dopamine, so you're stuck on your phone all day.
So just don't do it.
So you read a book, listen to a podcast, listen to my podcast, subscribe to my channel, send me a nice review like sus did, and then decide to get out of bed. Now I want you to only engage in like really calming activities. So I want you to journal. And there's a specific thing I want you to journal about. And even if you're not a journal I really want you to try this because, especially if you were having Sunday scaries, this is going to change your brain for it.
I want you to write down your wins from the week and now these winds don't have to be huge and crazy. They can be as small as I drank enough water this week, I wasn't so hard on myself this week. Even if you are someone who was like I tried to like your goal is to go to the gym so many times a week and you manage to go too, that's a win. I went to the gym twice this week, So just really focus on the winds and even any lessons that you learned as well.
Maybe another win is I was more present with the kids. All the kids punched on less like, that's a win. Things like that. So the next thing I want you to journal about is this week's focus. So what is your focus for this week? So for me, for a couple of weeks now, it's been a new schedule, so I'm coming up with new task batching, a new time boxing schedule, which I need to do whole other episode about just to help me figure out a system that
can really help me be across everything. So that's might be my focus for a while. And my other focus has been my sleep. So just think of your focus, and I don't want you to put it down a million things like maximum two things.
Okay, could be.
Just taking your vitamins or getting outside every day, something like that. Now I want you to write down, probably the most important thing, all the things you're worried about, and I want you to do with them one by one. So for example, for me, could be I'm worried about the job interview I have to do for this role that I'm hiring, or I'm worried about Harper's speech she has to do on Friday. So then once you've written it down, I want you to challenge.
It, is it real?
What evidence?
And you guys know this if you're listening to my podcast what I do with these things? What evidence do you have that suggests that this is in fact reality? And going to have it? And then I want you to do the opposite. I want you to write down why it's not true, and then once you've done that, write down the conclusion. So read through it and usually most of the time you'll see it's just our brain
being an asshole making us worry about absolutely nothing. You know, Margaret from Accounts is not pissed off at you because you bought carrot cake instead of fruitcake for a birthday in the office last week.
She doesn't give a shit. It's all good.
Now.
Once you've done this and you say you're worried about an event coming up, So there's a birthday party, an event, a meeting, something like that, I want you to think about what can you control about that and what you control now? If you can control something. Usually it could be something like, Okay, I've got this meeting. I don't have to prepare anything. I just got to turn up, So maybe I'll just pick the outfit went away and that's it. That's all you can control, and obviously turning up.
But if you can't control anything, I want you to redirect your focus. Because you're worrying about the worst case scenario, which never happens. We'll just make you experience it twice and the second time it actually won't happen. It's just you thinking about it again. Because our brain.
Never knows our thoughts from reality.
So you're thinking that you're going to get fired because Margaret's pissed off about the cake. Your brain thinks it's actually true when it's not. You're not going to get fired from the cake. It's sweet, they told me. It's fine. Now, really reflecting on things you can and can't control. Now, as I said, if you can't control anything, which most of the time you can't, redirect your focus, what you can control is how you feel right now, what you do with your time right now. So that is why
we're going to be doing this routine. So that's going to really help you just get that out, get it clear.
And move on.
Now. Once you've done that, I want you to have a really good breakfast. Now I'm not saying like Maca's pancakes. We're talking like your good fats, maybe some sour dope bread, some eggs. Better yet, if you can go to your favorite cafe, take the family, or if you don't have a family, take your partner, whoever, your dog, your sister Sue's will come.
I'm sure all go and have.
Your favorite breakfast at your favorite cafe. And if you can't do that, get outside, go for a walk, or even take your kids to the park and along the way pick up the decaf coffee. I do recommend decaf because if you've already anxious, it will help it and it tastes the same. Or if you really insist, you can have a normal coffee, but grab one along the way and drink it while you're outside in the sunshine, get some fresh air. Now we're going to move on
to your mid morning plan and organism. So you've come back, you've had your breakfast, you've done your journaling. Your brain's clear. Now it's time to help get even clearer. And I'm not someone that says work on the weekend. I definitely am not promoting that. But this is about planning for
the week ahead. So when you wake up tomorrow morning on Monday morning, you're not spending forty five minutes or an hour scatter brain trying to figure out what your priorities are today or for the week, or shot out a meeting earlier. Now I'm not ready, you're doing that now. So what you're going to do is you're going to grab your planner. Look in there, see any meetings you have, any appointments for the kids, if there's anything in your color. Now, what you're going to do. We all know this is
a brain dump. Look in your brain dump from your monthly brain dump in your SPP planner, or grab a piece of paper and do it there. And then you're going to be doing your top three and you quick three. Now, if you don't know what I'm talking about, you need to click on the link below, which I'll give you, or just scroll back and listen to it. I think it's like last week's episode. I think, and it is the most simple planning method that will help you understand how to prioritize your task properly.
And do it really stickily as well.
Now, what you're going to do is tidy upper space. And I'm not saying you have to clean the whole house. We all have areas of the house that kind of just irk us when they're messy. We all know what clutter does to our brains. I did a whole episode on that as well. It makes us feel worse. Clutter makes us feel anxious. As I'm recording this podcast, I'm looking over at my desk and there's like random shit
all over it from today and it's annoying me. So for me, I like to make sure my office space is clean ready to go, and my bedroom and also so like the hallway downstairs and the kitchen, so like those main high traffic areas, not the bedroom.
That's weird.
If that was high traffic, that'd be concerning. But you know what I mean, just choose samarios. You don't have to do everything, but try and like really incorporate that in more of a cleaning schedule approach into like your reset, so you're not doing it all on a Sunday, because there's nothing worse than doing all that stuff when you're already anxious. But it also can help because it's distracting, So refresh your space now. One thing that's really going
to help is plan something fun for Monday. Now, when I mean fun, I'm not saying go like bungee.
Jumping or some shit.
I was saying it could be as little as grab a cup of coffee on your way to work from your favorite cafe, or watching your favorite show that night, or cooking your favorite dinner that night.
Something just to look forward to. And it doesn't have to be big for me.
If I really wanted something to make me, like feel really good, it would be going to the gym, which is like one of my top three usually because it's really important to me. And probably just reading, to be honest, yeah, pretty much, and hanging out with sues because I getting old now, I'm sorry. So plan something fun for Monday, something to look forward to. And even I've seen things online where people like you should plan something like during
the week that's a bit different and fun. So that's something I really want to get, like another hobby, Like I just want a hobby. Ryan's indoor soccer and outdoor soccer, and I just kind of work. At the moment, I haven't done my paint by numbers. I've never finished that. If you follow me, you know I did my paint by numbers and I was so close and I've never finished it. It's been packed away because we moved and
I got into cross stitching. And even just like adult coloring in is really good to just because someone that's busy and you can't sit still, that's a really good one to do. So even just do things like that. Now we're coming to your Sunday afternoon. Now this is all about relaxing and unplugging. So I want you to engage in some light exercise. Either go for another walk, get outside, or a really good thing is just to YouTube stretching routines or yoga and just do that. Like
my kids loved to that with me. I haven't been able to do it for so long. I really want to get into mobility, so that's something I would love to start doing.
And then spend some time on your hobbies.
Like I said, do some coloring in, pay by numbers, call one of your best friends, whatever you want to do, and then just allow yourself some time to just unwine and be present and please, for the sake of God, try to spend the least amount of time on technology today is possible because technology, especially with work and things like that, is going to remind you of work and the week ahead.
And please do not go any emails.
Stay out of there unless it's something that's fine and you feel like it will make you feel better. Like set a time and do five minutes and just do a quick cleanup, but do not just don't go in there. Just stay away, stay away there, and I would love you to watch your favorite show. And then that leads us into it to Sunday evening. Now, this is where I can get pretty bad unless I'm really organized and I've done all these steps. Now I want you to
make sure you have your meals planned. You haven't planned for the whole week, that's fine, just have it ready for tomorrow. Chop up some fruit, make a sandwich, just have your food ready for tomorrow. If you're someone that works from home, just have the ingredients ready so at least if you are working at your desk or you're home with the kids, everything's easy to chuck together. And then I want you to lay out your outfit for
tomorrow morning. Because the least amount decisions that you can make the better because that's going to help you with decision fatigue, which comes heavily during the work week and during the week. And lastly, I want you to have the shower. Now everyone's got a different level. I like to wash my hair. I've got the dice and I blow dry, make sure it's all clean. I usually put James eyemasks on all that type of stuff. So just have the shower, shave, put moistrills a on. Just feel
like you'll just feel so much better. And now you've got a reset place. You've got your plan to set out ready for the week. You know what your priorities are for tomorrow. You know that you're worries are out of your control or you've done something about it. The outfits ready and you're good to go. And lastly, avoid your screen an hour before bed. Please, I'm happy if you don't watch your favorite show, but any screens an hour before bed, listen to a podcast, will read a book,
and that is going to change the game for you. Anyways, guys, I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Please don't forget. I made you, guys a free download below to help you out with your new Sunday routine that is just really really going to help you with the Sunday scaries, and it is just a good practice to do because Sundays were always a day of rest. Everything was shot Sunday, and now we're all online all the time. Everything's open twenty four to seven. So I love you, appreciate you, and.
I will talk to you guys on Monday.
Bye.
Thank you guys so much for tuning in today's episode of Stepping Up. I don't want this to be just another podcast that you listen to you get inspiration and then you don't take action. If there's been something in this episode that will help you step up into the best version of yourself, open up your trusted planner and make a plan. And if you've loved listening to today's episode, take a screenshot and show me where you've been listening from.
I love seeing it.
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