I love weekends. I love getting to the end of a long week, sitting at my desk on a Thursday or Friday, just trying to contain my excitement.
I’m counting the minutes until the weekend comes. And it’s not necessarily that I have plans — sometimes, I do — but it’s the fact that I can, hopefully, get a break from some of the exhaustion that I endured during the week.
Saturdays can be blissful. You sleep in for an extra hour or two. You go grocery shopping and run other errands that are needed. Do laundry and clean the house. Make plans to spend time with family and friends.
And then comes Sunday. A day that can be filled with nothing and everything all at the same time, depending on what you ended up getting done on Saturday. Before you know it, Sunday turns into Monday and then the next week’s responsibilities start all over again.
This is where the “Sunday scaries,” also sometimes called the “Sunday blues,” step in, where you feel a sense of dread or anxiety on a Sunday night before returning to work on Monday morning.
In 2023, a LinkedIn survey — which asked 2,000 U.S. workers — found that 75% of people experience the Sunday scaries. This has become less day-specific as 30% of people also told Headspace that they are having a difficult time sleeping four nights a week out of fear of losing their jobs, which can be one of the causes for Sunday scaries.
How do you cure the Sunday scaries?
I think everyone’s practice of soothing this is different, but as I am sitting here at 11 a.m. on a Monday morning already completely exhausted, here are some tips on what I think could ease you into the week.
Keeping a continuous to-do list Knowing what you have to accomplish during the week is key and specifically for me, I like to have to-do lists written down on physical paper.
I still use my Google Calendar, but with all of the different calendars synced onto one, it can be overwhelming to look at the first thing on Monday morning.
To plan in advance, I like to schedule an email to myself for Monday mornings (and so on) — I usually do this on Friday or Sunday nights — that lays out the things I already know that I need to do for that day. Then, I will write it out in a notebook once that day comes. Adding reminders and updating tasks for the following days is made easier when a draft list is already created.
Disconnecting from work Every job is different and disconnecting from work can be a challenge, especially when yours is associated with looking at social media on your phone. This is also true when it comes to knowing when to work later and when to say, “Hey, I am actually going to be done at 5 o’clock today.”
Another aspect of this is society, or our conscience, saying that the world might collapse if we don’t work those extra hours to finish the tasks that don’t necessarily need to be done that day.
However, realistic time away from work can actually bring more peace to your weekend and maybe Sundays won’t feel as scary. This can be as simple as just putting your phone away at night for a few hours.
Where’s the joy?
You know that excited feeling I was talking about when it hits the end of a long week? That joy can also be found on Sundays or maybe a weeknight.
If you could describe your perfect day, what would it look like? Do you wake up early in the morning to go run all of your errands like grocery shopping, getting a car wash, etc.? Or are you someone who prefers a day that is just for relaxation around the house?
Whatever it is, make it to where you bring a little more joy to your Sundays. And even during the week, try to designate one weeknight — even if it’s every once in a while — where you do something for yourself.
For example, I was trying to get together with one of my friends who used to have the complete opposite work schedule, so we ended up going to Painting with a Twist on a Monday night.
That was the best Monday night I had had in a long time.
It’s not just you.
Sunday scaries happen to everyone. Not every person wakes up brighteyed and bushy-tailed excited to start work on a Monday morning.
But, hopefully, Sundays — and even Mondays — will seem a little less daunting.
Navarro is the editor of the Hays Free Press and News-Dispatch. She can be reached at [email protected].
Megan Navarro
