Uh oh. It's almost that time again. The sun is dipping lower on Sunday afternoon, casting long shadows across our soon-to-be-over weekend bliss. How do you feel in these moments? Is there a knot in your stomach tightening, your heart beating a little faster, and a sense of dread persisting over the remaining hours of freedom?

Ah yes, the infamous Sunday Scaries. Those bittersweet feelings that naturally come along as our carefree days give way to the looming reality of Monday morning.

Don't let the almost child-like name fool you: the Sunday Scaries (Sunday blues, Sontagsleerung, Sunday anxiety, etc.) are a major phenomenon impacting millions worldwide. From business executives dreading overflowing inboxes to students fretting over exams, these anxieties don't discriminate.

Why do we keep feeling this way at the end of our weekends? How can we break free from its grip? Let's explore the psychology behind the Sunday Scaries, their widespread impact, and effective strategies to reclaim your Sunday evenings.

What are the Sunday Scaries?

The Sunday Scaries is a feeling of anxiety and dread that many people experience on Sundays as the workweek looms ahead. They are a form of "anticipatory anxiety" about returning to work or school on Monday mornings, often accompanied by a general feeling of sadness that the free time and relaxation of the weekend are over.  

Of course, the Sunday Scaries isn't a diagnosis you'd receive from a physician or psychologist. Instead, they'd said you're suffering from, as we mentioned, "anticipatory anxiety." Simply put, this is when you feel anxious about what's coming in the future.  

Legitimate medical diagnosis or not, the Sunday Scaries are still very common. In fact, nearly 75% of all employees report feeling them regularly. These feelings can manifest in a variety of different ways. It could be an anxious fixation on unfinished tasks, looming deadlines, or a calendar packed with meetings. It could be a sense of dread focused simply on the jarring transition from leisure to labor.

Whatever, the exact symptoms of your particular brand of Sunday Scaries may be, this is not merely a fleeting emotion. The Sunday Scaries are a reflection of our complex relationship with work and leisure in the modern world. A world that comes with so many pressures of productivity, the fear of falling behind, and the blurring lines between our professional and personal lives. Not to mention the fact that it's becoming increasingly challenging to fully disconnect and recharge, leaving us vulnerable to the Sunday evening blues.

Why do we get the Sunday Scaries?

So, why do we get the Sunday Scaries? Well, because we have work Monday morning. That was easy – let's wrap it up, fellas.

Just kidding – yes, we do get the Sunday Scaries because the weekend is over and Monday morning is fast approaching. But, of course, it's a little more complicated than that.

So, what are some of the causes of the Sunday Scaries?

1. Work-related stress

First and foremost, the everyday stresses of our jobs, that we know remain waiting for us Monday morning, may be a significant cause of the Sunday Scaries. Concerns about workload, challenging projects, difficult colleagues, or even job insecurity can create significant anxiety as the weekend draws to a close.

2. Loss of control

It can feel very jarring going from a weekend to a new workweek. After all, one minute you're in control: it's a Saturday – you don't need to go into the office; you can do whatever you want. The next, you're back to work under the mantle of your responsibilities.

And this anticipated loss of control can produce plenty of feelings of anxiety or dread the closer Monday morning comes.

3. Unhappiness with work

Perhaps the biggest reason you're feeling the Sunday Scaries is the fact you're not happy with your work. If you're not fulfilled in your job, the prospect of returning to it can be particularly daunting. The Sunday Scaries can be a stark reminder of your dissatisfaction and lack of engagement with your work.

(We'll discuss this in more detail in the sections below.)

4. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

As the weekend ends, there's a sense of missing out on fun and relaxation. This can amplify the dread of returning to work, as you contrast the enjoyment of the weekend with the perceived drudgery of the workweek.

4. Lack of work-life balance

If your work life dominates your time and energy, it can be harder to fully relax and enjoy the weekend, leading to more intense Sunday Scaries. The constant pressure of work can make it difficult to truly switch off and recharge from the previous week, leaving you feeling anxious and unprepared for the week ahead.

5. Pre-existing anxiety or depression

Finally, those individuals already prone to anxiety or depression might find these feelings heightened on Sundays. The anticipation of the workweek can act as a trigger, exacerbating existing mental health conditions.

Are the Sunday Scaries simply a fact of life?

Death and taxes may be life's only guarantees, but do work and the Sunday Scaries belong on that list? Are they just necessary evils we need to learn to accept and cope with?

No, absolutely not.

While work is an undeniable necessity for many of us, both financially and existentially, it shouldn't trigger that pervasive feeling of dread that creeps in on Sunday afternoons. There are plenty of tips, tricks, and fixes you can start implementing to help alleviate these feelings (which we'll be covering in the sections below). However, these solutions are merely Band-Aids on a larger wound if you don't address the root cause of the Sunday Scaries – the work itself.

Let's be frank: if you despise your job and can't stand another second in the office, you'll likely always experience some level of anticipatory anxiety. Why wouldn't you? Sure, you can do this or that to help alleviate that anxiety, but the anxiety will still be there in some form or another.

The Sunday Scaries, being a kind of anxiety, is really a kind of pain (emotional pain, in this instance). So, like all pain, it must serve some sort of function. After all, we don't just feel pain for no reason. Pain is an evolutionary mechanism designed to alert you that something is amiss, that you're hurt, or that a particular behavior or environment is unhealthy.

If you experience the pain of the Sunday Scaries as the workweek approaches, it's likely a sign you need a change in your professional life. But, we don't mean to sound blithe here. Finding a fulfilling job, especially in today's climate, is no small feat – and it's not always feasible for everyone.

Still, if you want the real fix for the Sunday Scaries, it's really about finding a profession or work that you not only tolerate, but find genuinely meaningful and fulfilling.

After all, in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (a theory that proposes human motivation is driven by fulfilling a pyramid of needs), what's on top? Food? Love? Friendship? Happiness? No. It's self-actualization.

You're experiencing the Sunday Scaries because your current work might not be contributing to your journey toward self-actualization. If it were, you'd be eager to return to it. But you're not; you're dreading it. Aren't you?

Unfortunately, as we've seen, the root causes of the Sunday Scaries are often beyond our immediate control. Finding a new and more fulfilling job isn't always possible, and even pursuing that goal can feel like a Herculean task in itself.

But it's a Herculean task that we all must pursue nonetheless. And that is our primary objective here for banishing the Sunday Scaries forever from our life: find work that you're genuinely passionate about.

Again, this is a whole beast in itself - but it is possible. You have to be patient and persistent. Happiness is a compass, not a destination, as they say. And, as Plato (allegedly) said: "No one should be discouraged who can make constant progress, even though it be slow."

In the meantime, however, we know that the feelings of the Sunday Scaries can be a huge bummer and even make it significantly harder to work towards your goals. So, we can't quite leave you hanging.

And we won't 👇

7 steps to beat the Sunday Scaries

Here are some tips, tricks, and strategies to help you manage the Sunday Scaries as you continue your journey toward fulfilling work that will ultimately banish them from your life entirely.

1. Do something fun over the weekend

Make a weekend a weekend – a real weekend. Weekends are supposed to be your time off, a chance to relax, recharge, and enjoy life outside of work.

Unfortunately, for many of us, work bleeds into our weekends. In fact, 29.3% of professionals are working over 50 hours per week. Chances are, some of that work is being pushed to Saturday and/or Sunday.

This can make the Sunday Scaries all the worse considering...it's like you never really left work in the first place.

"Where did the weekend go?" "Back to work, already?"

So, make a weekend, a weekend. Go out and actually do something fun. Something you actually enjoy. And don't think about work.

2. Set better boundaries

While this may sound all well and good, it's not always a possibility for many workers. They may simply be so busy that they have to get their work done over the weekends, or else pay the price.

But if you’ve established poor work-life boundaries, you may find yourself saying ‘yes’ to every work request despite your lack of bandwidth. A study from the University of Exeter even attributes feelings of the Sunday Scaries to just that: blurred work-life boundaries.

If this sounds familiar, you have to start setting better boundaries. Learn to say no to additional work when your plate is already full. Communicate your availability clearly, and stick to your established work hours. Your time is valuable, and it's okay to prioritize your well-being and personal life.

3. Rituals for Sunday

That being said, it's always a bummer when the weekend is finally coming to an end, even more so if it was a really fun weekend. There's always a bit of a melancholic atmosphere that hangs off any Sunday evening.

But, you could always set up your Sundays as something to look forward to. Plan some regular rituals that make the weekend twilight hours fun.

Maybe it's a family dinner or movie night. Perhaps you arrange something fun during the day. Go out to lunch with a friend, go to the movies. Tube down the river with your friends. As long as it brings you joy, you're good to go.

Whatever it may be, you can arrange your Sunday night routine so it becomes a day you look forward to. Of course, you may still feel some tinge of the Sunday Scaries, but they won't be as bad. You'll have plenty to keep your mind occupied with your fun Sunday rituals.

4. Plan for the week

Ultimately, being a kind of anxiety, the Sunday Scaries is just an apprehension or fear of the unknown (being centered around work Monday morning, of course). You're dreading the start of the new week because who knows what that week has in store for you?

But, planning out your week is a means of getting ahead of the Sunday Scaries. By tackling this sense of the unknown head-on, you gain a sense of control and predictability. This can significantly reduce anxiety and make the upcoming week feel less daunting.

Even if unexpected events arise (and they inevitably will), having a plan in place provides a framework to navigate them with greater confidence and composure.

5. Monday perk

Part of your plan for the week should include some form of Monday perk. Just as you'd do with the Sunday rituals, you can do with the Monday perks.

This could be anything from having lunch with a friend, going for a long walk during the day, scheduling all your easier, shallow work tasks on that day, whatever.

A Monday perk of some kind has the power to take some of the bite out of the first day of the week, making it something to look forward to rather than dread. It provides a small but meaningful reward to help you kick-start the week on a positive note.

6. Get some good sleep

With all that said, it's important to prioritize your sleep Sunday night. I know you don't want the weekend to end just yet. But you're not squeezing any extra valuable time by staying up extra late.

You'll just be exhausted come Monday morning, which makes everything that much more difficult. Not to mention that you'll just remember how crummy this Monday was on the following Sunday – fueling your future feelings of the Sunday Scaries. A vicious cycle, truly.

Instead, aim for a consistent sleep schedule (yes, even on weekends). This helps regulate your body's natural rhythm and allows you to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the week ahead. A well-rested mind and body are better equipped to handle challenges and stress, making those Monday blues a little less blue.

7. Take some time off

Finally, if you're feeling the symptoms of the Sunday Scaries (so much that you'd turn to this article) it might be that you're burnt out.

You could have even read our beginning salvo about the need for fulfilling work and thought to yourself, "But I love my job! Why am I still feeling this way?"

Burnout can happen to anybody – even if the job is fulfilling and lifts them up. The body and mind can only take so much, there's only so much energy to give. Pushing on these limits too strongly for too long is a recipe for burnout.

And there's no remedy for burnout like rest. Take some time off if work is giving you so much dread. Treat yourself, go on a 2-week vacation. And don't think about work while you're doing it.

Don't let the Sunday Scaries get you down ☀️

While the Sunday Scaries are a common experience, they don't have to control your life. By understanding their root causes and implementing strategies to manage anxiety and create a healthier work-life balance, you can reclaim your Sunday nights and approach the week ahead with greater confidence and peace of mind.

Anything we missed? Be sure to tweet us at @reclaimai to let us know!