The Sunday Sads, the Sunday Blues, the Sunday Scaries—these terms refer to a sense of heightened dread that happens the day before returning to work after a day or days off. For many of us, that’s on Sunday. In polls conducted in 2015 and 2018, around 80 percent of American adults report having episodes of anticipatory anxiety on Sundays.[1] As the weekend comes to an end, many people feel a visceral dread about going back to work. That feeling of a lead ball settling to the bottom of the stomach is often powerful enough to get in the way of enjoying the last day of the weekend.
People feel a complex mix of apprehension for the upcoming week and regret or guilt about not having had the weekend they wanted. These emotions trigger the release of small amounts of adrenaline and cortisol, stress hormones that help the body respond to imminent physical threat. In the case of Sunday Scaries, this makes anxiety worse.
Fortunately, there are some ways to reclaim your peace of mind.
- Make an action plan and follow it. If there are things you want to do on the weekend, get them down on a list. Break big tasks into smaller, more easily definable jobs and mark them off as you complete them. We emphasize doing nothing on the weekends, yet all too often “doing nothing” kills our motivation to do anything at all. That can contribute to a feeling of having wasted one’s time. By following a plan, we can be sure of getting a few big tasks complete.
- Address possible causes of your anxiety. It’s interesting to note that people experience Sunday Sads whether their work situation is great or not-so-great. However, if you can identify what’s most problematic in causing your Sunday anxiety, you can work toward relieving it. Sometimes just identifying what’s causing anxiety can reduce it.
- Do a few chores over the weekend. Even getting a few small tasks done will give you a feeling of accomplishment, as well as shortening your to-do list.
- Leave work at work. This can be hard to do. Many jobs require workers to stay at least partially connected all the time. However, if possible, refrain from checking your work email over the weekend and stop bringing work home.
- Practice mindfulness, meditation (or both). Calming exercises can help relieve the symptoms of anxiety.
Damaris Aragon, ARNP, BC provides a full spectrum of mental health care to people in Spokane, Washington, and surrounding areas. She focuses on providing personalized, compassionate care that adheres to current evidence-based standards. Reach out to Damaris through her contact page or calling 509-342-6592.
[1] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/red-white-and-mostly-blue-monster-data-shows-that-the-us-continues-to-suffer-the-most-from-sunday-night-blues-300092235.html
