A guide to treating the Sunday scaries in Selly Oak

Every Sunday morning, hundreds of UoB students wake up convinced they’re going to be productive. They’ll sort their entire life out, meal prep healthy dinners for the week, and get all their seminar readings done. Instead, they end up lying around staring at Canvas, procrastinating and dreading the busy week ahead. 

If you’re looking to actually survive and be productive next Sunday without a meltdown, then here is your ultimate step-by-step guide to cure the scaries and reset before Monday.

1.  Head to Heybrew for a bagel and an iced latte 

The worst thing you can do on a Sunday is wake up and immediately check Canvas in bed. Instead, save the academic panic for later, put on whatever trackies are lying on your floor, and drag your housemates to Heybrew for brunch. 

Ordering an iced latte and the Hangover or New Yorker bagel is a must. Sit down and spend an hour talking about literally anything other than your 9am lecture tomorrow. Getting out of the house for food is the best way to clear your head and fuel yourself before tackling the rest of the day. 

2. Clean your room and map out deadlines 

If you’re currently staring at a mountain of laundry and your room has been utterly ruined by weekend chaos, trust me, you’re not the only one. We recommend doing a mini-Sunday reset. Chuck a load of washing on, clear your floor, and take down empty mugs. Having a clean space makes you feel much more organized and ready for the week ahead. 

Then, to beat that overwhelming feeling of looming assignments — grab that planner. Writing down your week into small, bite-sized tasks and making a proper to-do list makes all your work feel ten times more manageable. Map out your lecture slots, seminar prep, and all those scary deadlines. 

You can now close your laptop and spend the rest of your Sunday relaxing guilt-free, knowing you’re actually organized for the week ahead. 

3. Get some fresh air at Winterbourne House and Garden

Most Read

Celebrity Traitors’ Sebastian Croft had three year relationship with co-star, and none of us knew

Julie was voted off The Celebrity Traitors due to unaired drama with James Blunt

Wow, You’re Beautiful earns Celebrity Traitors’ James Blunt an obscene amount of money each day

If you’ve been stuck in Selly Oak all week, the smell of the bins down Dawlish Road have likely started to get to you. To finally breathe some proper fresh air, Winterbourne House and Garden is only a 15-minute walk from Selly. It’s the perfect place to reconnect with nature. 

Take a stroll around the gardens and glasshouses. It’s ridiculously aesthetic and has a cute cafe for a coffee and sweet treat. Name us a more perfect place to take in some scenery before you’re sat in that unbearable 9am in the Avon Room.

Entry is completely free for UoB students, so there’s zero excuses for rotting in bed all day. Just don’t forget to bring your UoB student ID! 

4. Debrief the weekend in the kitchen with your housemates

As great as the frantic 4am debrief in Mamma Mia’s is, you definitely missed half the gossip. Gather your housemates in the late afternoon, make a cup of tea and sit in the kitchen for a proper, detailed recap of Circo Friday. 

There is no better therapy than dissecting how a wholesome ‘one quick drink’ at The Goose somehow spiralled into hunting down your friend on the Circo dance floor at 3am. Getting the full breakdown of the usual Selly drama and laughing over everyone’s questionable choices is guaranteed to wipe out any lingering Sunday scaries. 

5. End the day with a cosy movie in bed 

It’s 9pm and the Sunday scaries have really started to set in. The best solution? Change into a fresh set of pyjamas, grab a cup of tea, and a proper sweet treat (especially M&S cookies). 

Climb into bed and throw on a classic comfort comedy rom-com. 10 Things I Hate About You, Bridget Jones, or Notting Hill are some great examples. This is the perfect time to shut out the academic deadlines and focus on getting a decent nights sleep to set you up for the week ahead, or for Circo Monday.

For more of the latest news, guides, gossip, and memes, follow The Birmingham Tab on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.