The Sunday Scaries Are Coming for Your Saturday
Sunday afternoon is going really well. Maybe you’re watching TV, reading a book, or convincing yourself that the laundry can wait another hour. Then Monday wanders into your thoughts, uninvited.
The Sunday Scaries are that familiar feeling of dread that can creep in as the weekend winds down and another workweek gets closer. And, according to a survey from Rula, they're incredibly common. A whopping 88% of Americans said they experience them.
Yet, unfortunately, Sunday isn't necessarily when they begin.
The Sunday Scaries May Start on Saturday
Nearly one in five people who experience the Sunday Scaries said those feelings begin on Saturday. For 47% of Americans, the dread happens frequently or nearly every week. So much for giving us the whole weekend.
Rula surveyed people about both the physical and emotional symptoms they experience when thinking about the upcoming workweek. Having trouble sleeping was the most common physical symptom, reported by 56% of respondents, followed by a racing mind at 45%.
Emotionally speaking, the most common symptoms were:
Dread or unease: 55%
Anxiety: 53%
Feeling overwhelmed: 37%
Irritability: 31%
That workweek anxiety can turn what should be some nice downtime into several hours spent mentally answering emails that haven't even arrived yet.
How People Are Spending Their Sundays
When Sunday anxiety starts creeping in, plenty of us reach for the remote. Watching TV or movies was the most popular way people said they cope, with 62% turning to their favorite show or movie. Spending time with family came in next at 42%, followed closely by scrolling through social media.
Others take a slightly more productive approach. About 34% said they catch up on sleep, while the same percentage said they tackle housework and errands. Granted, folding laundry may not sound like the world's most glamorous form of self-care.
But if getting Monday morning's clean shirt out of the way makes Sunday feel a little calmer, that’s a win.
How to Beat the Sunday Scaries
There isn't one magical cure for Sunday night anxiety, but giving the end of the weekend a little structure may help. Rula suggested a small Sunday evening routine, such as journaling, taking a short walk, or setting some gentle intentions for the coming week. Keeping fairly consistent sleep and wake times can also help protect your Sunday-night sleep.
It may also be worth paying attention to what they're trying to tell us. Some people connect their Sunday dread to being unhappy at work.
If those feelings are intense, happen regularly, or start interfering with sleep and the rest of the weekend, talking to a therapist may help you uncover what's really behind them.
Sunday Still Belongs to Us
A little preparation for Monday isn't a bad thing. But, losing half the weekend to Monday before it even arrives is another story.
Maybe the best place to start is with something small: put on a comfort show, take a walk, make Monday's to-do list, and then put it all away.
Monday will get its turn soon enough. It doesn't need Saturday, too.
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