Subdue the Sunday Scaries before the new working week
It’s 3pm on a Sunday and you’ve just enjoyed a relaxing weekend, but you start to notice feelings of anxiety and dread – you might have a case of the “Sunday Scaries”.
You’re not alone – there have been 30 million views for #Sundayscaries on Tiktok, with experts describing it as the moment when feelings of apprehension and fear creep in ahead of a working week, often associated with heavy workloads, time pressures or conflict.
University of Queensland sland Business School lecturer r Dr Marissa Edwards says there are simple ways to help combat the Sunday Scaries, including drafting an “action plan” to manage weekly tasks, completely disengaging from work on the weekend, and engaging in enjoyable activities before work, such as exercising.
“Organise your calendar on Friday afternoon so you don’t turn up first thing Monday morning and feel overwhelmed,” Edwards says.
“Try and keep your weekends free of work so that you can cognitively disengage from the workplace. “And if you can find ways to get enough sleep on a Sunday night, that’s really important.”
Edwards maintains the most important step to minimising the Sunday Scaries is working out the cause, adding people should talk to a work colleague or supervisor if they are really struggling.
She says workplaces can foster more positive environments for their employees by implementing “Monday morning check-ins” and stress management programs.
Psychologist Sabina Read explains the Sunday Scaries is “a fight or flight response” to excess stress, which can leave people feeling paralysed, exhausted or resentful.
“If we associate our work with excessive pressure, loss of freedom, unrealistic expectations, tricky relationships, or a lack of validation, we are more likely to have a negative response when we think about work at the end of the weekend,” Read says. “Conversely, if our role correlates with autonomy, appreciation, stimulation and a level of challenge, then Sunday night may not feel so loaded.”