Have you personally been victimized by the Sunday scaries? The conclusion of the weekend has most of us dreading work the next day, with some falling into the trap of anxiety over what’s to come. Addressing this weekend anxiety can make the transition into the workweek much smoother, putting the Sunday Scaries to rest so you can fully enjoy your weekend.
It’s Sunday morning, and you’ve just woken up late, sipping on your mid-morning coffee while you watch your favorite show. Suddenly, it hits you—tomorrow is Monday. Just like that, the rest of the day is ruined. The Sunday scaries are a normal part of the week for most workers, marking an infusion of stress into the weekend over the fact that it is about to end.
Not only does this make it hard to enjoy yourself on Sunday, but it also turns the prospect of returning to work more unpleasant than it needs to be. Easing the Sunday scaries is a job for the workers, certainly, but employers who make Mondays more manageable can also win some brownie points with their workforce.
The weekend anxiety that comes with the Sunday Scaries is never pleasant, and it can be well worth the effort to address it at once. (Image: Freepik)
What Are The Sunday Scaries and Why Should They Be Addressed?
Much like the horror of witnessing an apparition lurking over your shoulders, the Sunday Scaries refer to the looming weekday hovering just around the corner. Some people can put off the Sunday scaries entirely, while others feel it haunts them when they see the daylight hours of the weekend finally fading away. Worse off are those who start dreading the arrival of the weekday as soon as the weekend begins, wasting their entire rest period on the challenges that await them next week.
Regardless of how intense the Sunday Scaries are, this workweek anxiety is unhealthy. Employees who don’t take time to disconnect from work are likely to get burnt out more easily, and it makes workers resent their jobs more than they typically would.
As a result, their workweek begins on an unpleasant note, already stressful before anything has a chance to go wrong. Sunday scaries may sound relatively harmless on paper, but this constant state of dread about work over the weekend is not ideal.
Coping with the Sunday Scaries: Tips for Employees
Employees who learn how to ease the Sunday Scaries can enjoy their personal lives with greater abandon, giving their friends, families, and hobbies the attention they deserve. Constantly anticipating upcoming responsibilities or worrying about all the work that’s waiting on your desk does little to reduce the workload.
While the work is inevitable, the constant state of worry doesn’t have to be. Learning how to stop the Sunday Scaries can look like:
- Holding off on checking work emails and responsibilities during the weekend
- Addressing major tasks on Friday, so there’s less waiting for you on Monday
- Creating a schedule for Monday so you feel more in control of the approaching week
- Completing personal tasks on Saturday so that Sunday can be reserved for resting
- Making plans for the things you want to do for yourself over the weekend, so you don’t feel overwhelmed or unproductive when the weekend does arrive
- Go for a walk, not just as a way to exercise but to clear your head and focus on being present
- Explore the idea of Bare Minimum Mondays with your employer to see if your team can collectively change how you approach the week
Sunday Scaries Tips for Employers Who Want to Create a Healthy Work Culture
Figuring out how to stop the Sunday Scaries is indeed up to employees and not in the hands of employers and their HR teams. Despite that, there is a lot that employers can do to create a culture where employees are invited to look at their work as welcoming rather than hostile. Easing the Sunday Scaries is only possible when employers create a company culture where employees are allowed to disconnect from work, making it an HR responsibility.
Employer and HR can help address Sunday Scaries and manage the scale of workweek anxiety by:
- Creating a holistic culture where employees are only contacted during work hours
- Educating managers on the work culture and enforcing policies that encourage employee well-being
- Supporting a lighter workload on Monday that is focused on planning for the rest of the week
- Providing employee benefits that support mental and physical health
- Providing support for employees dealing with burnout
- Collecting employee feedback and creating a culture of communication
- Introducing flexible work policies that allow employees to make adjustments to their schedule when needed
The Weekend Anxiety Doesn’t Have to Be Debilitating
Some degree of dread regarding work over the weekend isn’t entirely unusual, as responsibilities have a way of weighing individuals down. Managing this stress actively and making changes to one’s lifestyle should be a priority, and this is often enough to quickly put these worries to rest and focus on making the most of the weekend.
If the Sunday Scaries are turning overly overwhelming, we recommend speaking to a professional and learning meditation and relaxation techniques that can help ease some of the stress. It is also better to inform managers or an HR representative about the issue so they are aware of the work culture and its impact on employees. Collaboration is the glue that keeps any organization running, and efforts from both employers and employees are essential to make this process a successful one.
Have you ever experienced the Sunday Scaries? How did you cope with the workweek anxiety? Share your experience with us. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.