Sunday Scaries not a funny thing
Those of us who still get a daily newspaper look forward to the Sunday funnies.
It's a holdover habit from childhood, even though I think the Winslow family should get rid of Marmaduke because he's nothing but trouble. But the Sunday funnies are old school. Today we have the Sunday Scaries.
According to the American Psychological Association, millions of American workers suffer from a condition known as the “Sunday Scaries,” a form of “anticipatory anxiety,” specifically the fear of going to work on Monday morning.
To nobody's surprise, the most affected demographic groups are Millennials and Generation Z.
Now, before I am accused of Old Codgeritis, yelling at clouds about “these kids today,” let me acknowledge that every generation is convinced the next generation is spoiled and soft. I still remember my father's sad shake of his head, as he watched me and my brother play Tudor Electric Football on a beautiful fall afternoon rather than go outside and toss around an actual football. Still, these kids today! A LinkedIn survey of 3,000 Americans found a whopping 80% of younger workers experience the Sunday Scaries, even those working from home in their pajamas and their dogs on their laps.
The Sunday Scaries now joins the long list of things I am incapable of understanding.
Some years ago, I went through a period of protracted unemployment. Regular readers of this column will understand how that might happen.
Frequently I went to bed as my neighbors were heading off to their respective salt mines. I did not suffer from “anticipatory anxiety.” I had flatbroke anxiety. I still wince at a forever memory, the day I tried to get 20 bucks out of an ATM only to discover my bank balance was $19.90.
A TikToker named Marisa Jo Mayes invented the term “Sunday Scaries” to explain her “bare minimum Monday” behavior at work. For those uninitiated in the modern workplace vernacular, “bare minimum Monday” is the practice of doing as little as possible to ease into the work week. We've become France. Cigna Health reports 91% of our youngest workers report higher-than-average stress levels. Psychologists offer a variety of suggestions to help sufferers alleviate Sunday Scaries, including setting workplace boundaries.
Can you imagine having the workplace boundary conversation 20 years ago?
Me: “I don't think I can write my column today. I'm feeling stressed.”
Boss: “Don't worry about it, Doug. The person I hire to replace you will write it.”
I understand the digital universe has created a whirlwind of worries; from global competition to an endless stream of tragedies and crises populating our social media feeds that have convinced millions there's never been a worse time to be alive.
In fact, for most of mankind, life has never been better. Back to France. President Emmanuel Macron nearly lost his job for raising the retirement age in France from 62 to 64 years. Frenchmen took to the streets in anger, despite the unbelievably good news life expectancy in France increased from 71.46 years in 1970 to 82.1 years today. When did living longer become a reason to go to the barricades?
We seem to be perspective-deprived.
While there are legitimate reasons to worry in life and those worries can lead to stress, anxiety, and actual depression, far too many of us now think we're entitled to life's benefits with zero obligations.
Unless you're born a trust fund baby, the odds are you'll need to earn your keep by working. Hopefully, in an occupation you love, or at least one that provides a sustainable living with a measure of dignity. Done right, work is an opportunity, not a punishment.
Of course, 50 years from today, 70-year-old Generation Z'ers will be boring their grandkids with stories about how tough life was when they grew up and phones were only 4G.
Perspective.