How do you get rid of the perennial feeling of dread for your upcoming work week?
We've all been there... The time you begin fretting may be different for everybody... It happens like clockwork, even if you have a weekly goat yoga session...
There's a time on Sunday, when the blissful activities of rest or recreation of the weekend, give way to a recurring horror movie trailer starring me versus the antagonists of anxiety and trepidation within the setting of my workplace. It's time for another bone-chilling encore presentation of the "Sunday Scaries"!
What are the Sunday Scaries?
Do you often dread the end of the weekend, feeling anxious about the week ahead? You're not alone. You are experiencing a recently-coined phenomenon commonly known as the "Sunday Scaries," where feelings of worry and apprehension about the upcoming workweek creep in, as the weekend draws to a close.
This dread cheats you from enjoying Sunday to its fullest because your mind is shifting focus from the weekend's freedom and autonomy to the perceived drudgery and demands of the upcoming work week. In short, you don't enjoy your full 2 days off from the corporate plantation, as you spend half of Sunday obsessing over work.
Supporting Statistics
According to a 2023 LinkedIn survey, 75% of 2000 workers surveyed grapple with the Sunday Scaries. Per the 10/17/24 edition of the New York Post, the under belly of this phenomenon is more grim. 49% of respondents define the Sunday Scaries as anxiety or dread over the coming work week that occurs approximately 36 times per year at 3:54 pm.
My Sunday Scaries
For me, the time I feel the Sunday Scaries is 10:47 pm. The weekend is officially over, as my focus shifts to:
Ironing my clothes for Monday, maybe for Tuesday and Wednesday too, if I am feeling really froggy and fashion-forward!
Packaging Sunday leftovers for Monday's lunch.
Reviewing a mental checklist of my work priorities for Monday and the rest of the week.
Taking melatonin to ensure a minimum of 7 hours of sleep.
More Than Just Paranoia
However, the Sunday Scaries are not just "anxiety and reasonable prep on overdrive" conspiring to encroach on the end of your weekend!
Workers with insufferable bosses and those who despise their jobs are prone to experience real-life maladies from this sudden, yet predictable weekly emotional downturn, such as:
Headaches
Sweating
Upset stomach
Insomnia
Panic Attack symptoms - racing heartbeat, difficulty breathing, and trembling
5 Reasons Why You May Experience the Sunday Scaries
Abrupt Mindset Transition
The sudden mental transition from autonomous control over your pleasant weekend activities to being a subjugated hamster on someone else's treadmill can be jarring. The shift from relaxation mode to work responsibilities is not without cost. Ergo, this bandwidth shift is mentally taxing and tumultuous.
Anticipation of the Workweek One of the primary reasons behind the Sunday Scaries is the over-anticipation of the upcoming workweek. Thoughts of deadlines, meetings, and responsibilities can start to weigh heavily on your mind, leading to feelings of stress and anxiety running roughshod over your waning weekend.
Lack of Restoration
If you feel like your weekends are too short or you haven't had enough time to relax and recharge, you may find yourself struggling with the Sunday Scaries. A weekend full of catch-up chores, social activities, and family obligations can also exhaust you. Thus, it's challenging to transition smoothly from a busy weekend to work mode because you never fully rested in the first place.
Disappointing Weekend of Dashed Expectations It rained on the beach day you assiduously organized for weeks with your friends. Your child is being an entitled brat. You fought with your spouse over something trivial and ruined a romantic getaway. The 5-star brunch you eagerly fantasized was an expensive dud.
When a restful or recreational weekend goes up in smoke, it's depressing to think you must endure another full workweek of patience-testing and the capriciousness of your annoying boss - just to get to your next weekend nirvana!
It's 3:54 pm on Sunday again. The moment you realize your weekend is over! You Hate Your Job and LOATHE Your Career Trajectory The Sunday Scaries could remind you that you are not living your career dreams and the halcyon goals you envisioned from your youth are fading week-by-week. Every Sunday night, you mourn the unfulfilled promise of your career potential and feel trapped on a trajectory of despondency due to the realization you may never accomplish what you thought was your divine purpose.
Your mind wanders into the fear zone of negative self-reflection... "Is it too late to achieve my dreams?" "Am I going to be a lame paper pusher for the rest of my life?"
"How much longer do I have to deal with this tyrant of a boss?"
For this group of people, the Sunday Scaries represent an existential crisis about the overall direction and happiness of their lives. When Monday morning rolls around, it's a constant, tangible, alarm clock reminder of their unhappy lot in life.
Your 22-year-old college senior, activist self would be very disappointed to learn you "sold out" to clocking in for an Employer Overlord at a mundane, 9-to-5 job you hate - merely for something as banal - as sustenance! Somewhere in your soul, you believe you were destined for greatness...not asking customers if they "want fries with that".
5 Ways to Deal with the Sunday Scaries
Now that we unpacked the anxiety that accompanies planning and preparation for the upcoming work week, here are 5 ways to better cope with this recurring problem.
1. Practice Gratitude
I know it's cheesy and based to some, but millions of out of work jobseekers would trade places with you in a New York minute to share in your anxieties about work. For the under-employed, unemployed, or those lacking job security, such people are chronically worried about funding the necessities of life for their families. Worrying about job satisfaction or career hopes, is an unfathomable luxury for them.
2. Uncertainty and Overthinking
Uncertainty about the future, coupled with overthinking about past events or upcoming tasks, can exacerbate feelings of dread and anxiety as the weekend comes to a close. This tendency to ruminate on what's to come can amplify the Sunday Scaries, so do your best to stop worrying about events out of your control - like the future.
Practice Self-Care and Relaxation Use Sunday as a day for rejuvenation. Engage in activities that help you unwind and recharge, such as praying to God, reading a book, going for a walk, practicing mindfulness, or spending time with loved ones. Prioritizing self-care can help alleviate anxiety and improve your mood. Those pressing workweek tasks will be there - whether you agonize over them or not.
Plan Ahead Before the Weekend...or on Monday Morning Take some time on Friday afternoon to map out your upcoming priorities and important "to do's" for next week - before you leave for the weekend. This way, you can have a clear head and the mental space to enjoy your weekend without any repressed anxiety popping up. Then, let go, shift gears to weekend mode, and trust that your future self will handle business accordingly. Alternatively, plan your upcoming week as the very first task when you get to the office on Monday morning. With a Friday afternoon or Monday morning planning session built in your schedule, you are addressing next week's agenda head on and heading anxiety off at the pass with action-oriented autonomy.
More importantly, you are doing your work planning and stressing while on the clock! Thus, you are getting paid to plan your upcoming work week, instead of obsessing over it and doing it for FREE on your "always-too-short" weekends.
Start Your Exit Plan
If there is an overwhelming sense of dread every Sunday night that goes far beyond another glorious weekend coming to a close, working a boring job, or a suffering under a tyrannical boss - one that is that tied to the purpose of your life's ambitions - it's time to shift your career course to spare subjugating the song of your soul!
Conclusion - It Ain't Over Yet
You owe it to yourself to be happy professionally, as much of your waking life is consumed with work. If you want to start your own business, set aside 10 minutes a day and 5% of your weekly income (if possible) to research and invest in that dream. If a change of scenery is needed, start a new job search. Turning anxiety into action can spur one to achieving some sense of dominion over their destiny.
Small steps of positive, consistent, and continuous micro actions could empower and position you better to seize potential life-changing opportunities when they emerge.
Understand Risk Factors, Implement Counter Strategies, and Reclaim Your Time
By understanding the factors contributing to the Sunday Scaries and implementing strategies to counter them, you can reclaim your Sundays and start the week feeling refreshed and ready to tackle whatever comes your way.
Remember, it's normal to experience some level of apprehension about the week ahead, but with mindful practices and self-care, you can minimize the impact of the Sunday Scaries on your overall well-being.
Perhaps, one day you will love your job and career path so much, that you too will be one of those tone-deaf douchebags who bellow Happy Monday unironically, and to the annoyance of everybody else!
댓글