Easily the most effective for me has been to develop, review, and/or do one action item off a plan to be able to leave the job and work towards something I want to spend my time working on. Knowing I have a plan, remembering it and seeing that it's a good plan, and taking steps on that is a concrete reminder that the job I hate is temporary and I'm not stuck. That reduces the scaries significantly for me.
Then I also like to clean my place, light a scented candle, and read/watch something to make where I live feel cozy, comforting, and home-y. A reminder that even though the job is shit, I have at least built a home that I come back to. Might call a friend and talk it out too - works on both levels.
Thr scaries start for me once it gets close to noon and the day no longer feels young. The feeling that the day is lost merges with a similar feeling about life, which urges me to do something, anything, with my time.
That's when I usually get a burst of productivity that lasts until it's 5pm. The weekend is gone and it's time to enter self care mode. That usually means good food and entertainment in one form or another. As it gets dark I'll start trying to stop time with booze or a bit of weed as I indulge myself with sports or a movie.
I will often go to bed early so I can be all cozy and in a safe space to go down a wikipedia hole, read a book, listen to music and just veg in general.
Once the day is actually over the scaries usually have disappeared oddly enough.
What if you like your family more than your job? Hustle and bustle of the work/school week (even an enjoyable one) makes it incredibly hard for me to spend time with my family outside of weekends.
I'd be an awful person if I didn't like my family more than my job. Yeah, I'd love a better split of work and home time, but it is what it is. I'm home by 5.30pm or earlier every weekday, so there's evenings and weekends for family time, but we couldn't do things if I didn't have a job that pays well.
I used to ask the same question as OP, then I discovered this trick (with crap load of luck, I had tried to find a job that I'd enjoy for a long time before I got one).
I remember thinking in my early twenties that I might as well kill myself if my experience was all adulthood had to offer. Thankfully it has quite a bit more to offer, it just takes a lot of time and effort to find it. I’ve never been suicidal, but at that point in my life I seriously couldn’t see putting myself through such misery for 40-50 years until I could retire, and was desperate for answers.
Back when I drank, and didn’t like my job, I’d deal with it by being drunk as often as possible. I loved being drunk, and it created a clear delineation between play time and work time.
Psychedelics, drink, smoke, remind myself i only have 50 years left of my shift on earth, get a vasectomy because it is child abuse to force my offspring to wage slave for less then what it takes to afford basic necessities.
Big slow breakfast. Do one very small thing (e.g. fix the bed). Tick that box. See how you feel. If it motivates you, try ticking another box. If that doesn't take, find the nearest sofa.
Yoga. It’s a great way to start the week off on the right foot by dedicating some time to taking care of myself, and nice slow stretch feels really good
I try to just do stuff I enjoy. I'm a football guy so Sunday is a great day for me this time of year. If I'm not doing that though, I'm spending time with my wife and daughter or tinkering with things that interest me like emulation.
Overall I make it my day and try not to worry about what is happening tomorrow. I will say the thing what really puts it into perspective for me is that I left a job earlier in the year that was unhealthy. I was working overnights and weekends. Sometimes I was only home 8 hours before I had to go back. I decided it was controlling too much of my life and I moved back to a regular Mon-Fri job. I'm so happy to have a regular schedule again and weekends to myself. I do my best to appreciate the time I have now.
Sauna, Changing jobs.
However now that I have new job but no contract yet, and hence have not yet given my 2 weeks, my Sunday scaries are extra bad until that happens.
If I wake up early, I will try and relax but be slightly productive by tidying up. Then I'll make some tea before sitting and deciding what to do. Sunday scaries aren't even on the horizon because the day is pregnant with potential. It's easy for thst potential to shrivel up and miscarry though. Sometimes I'll waste hours reading the news, other times I will read a book or play a video game.
Once it gets close to noon and the day no longer feels young I'll begin to get anxious. Maybe I have some bigger chores to do that I shouldn't put off. Or maybe the feeling that the day is lost merges with a similar feeling about life, which urges me to do something, anything, with my time.
If I'm not careful, time can pass with nothing being accomplished and it's suddenly almost 5. The weekend is gone and it's time to enter self care mode. That usually means good food and entertainment in one form or another. As it gets dark I'll start trying to stop time with booze or a bit of weed as I indulge myself with sports or a movie.