What Are the “Sunday Scaries”?

The “ Sunday Scaries” is a playful term for a wave of dread that sometimes hits on Sunday afternoon. It’s when the weekend winds down and your brain starts pre-loading the week ahead. You might notice tension in your chest, restlessness, irritability, or a low sense of anxiety you can’t quite shake.

This is a type of anticipatory anxiety, a fear of uncertainty about the future.

You’re not alone. The “Sunday Scaries” are incredibly common. It’s your mind’s way of bracing for transition, uncertainty, and the pressure of having a productive week. But you don’t have to spend half your weekend worrying about Monday.

Here are five strategies to calm the “Scaries” and make Sunday feel like yours again.

 1. Name What You’re Actually Anxious About

Anxiety loves vagueness. The moment you name what’s really bothering you (“I’m worried I’ll fall behind on deadlines,” or “I feel lonely going into another week”), you move from feeling anxiety to understanding it. This moves you into a more logical headspace, and tends to give you some distance from the anxious feelings.

You could try journaling or voice-noting what’s under the surface. Often, the simple act of labeling a fear takes away some of its power.

2. Create a Sunday Ritual You Genuinely Enjoy

Anchor your Sunday in something you look forward to. Try not to make it just about chores and prep.

• Coffee and a walk

• A favorite playlist while cooking dinner

• A call with someone who makes you laugh

Pleasurable routines retrain your brain to associate Sunday with ease and connection, not dread.

3. Set Your “Monday You” Up for Success (But Keep It Light)

Do a small act of kindness for your future self, like picking out clothes, prepping a lunch, or writing a simple to-do list. Then stop there.

The goal isn’t to finish the week ahead, it’s to tell your brain, “We’re ready enough.” Over-preparing can blur the line between rest and work, fueling more stress. I often tell my clients that they can “trust their future selves” to be at least as knowledgeable and capable as the current self who is trying so hard to overprepare. And most of the time, in reality the future self is even more capable! 

So you can show a kindness to your future self, and then spend as much time with your current self as possible on Sundays. Anxiety lives in the future, not the present moment.

4. Limit Sunday Night Screen Time

Scrolling work emails, news, or social media triggers comparison and stress hormones. Try putting your phone on Do Not Disturb after 8 p.m. and switching to a grounding activity instead like reading, stretching, or spending quality time with a loved one.

5. Close Your Weekend With a Moment of Reflection

Before bed, take a breath and ask yourself:

“What was one thing I enjoyed this weekend?”

“What do I want to carry into the week ahead?”

Reflection helps your brain integrate the weekend’s rest into your week’s rhythm, instead of treating Monday like a full restart.

Closing

The Sunday Scaries don’t mean something’s wrong with you. They mean you care about your life and responsibilities! By bringing gentleness and structure to your Sunday, you can quiet the anticipatory noise and build a calmer transition into your week.

If anxiety or burnout are taking up more than just your Sundays, therapy can help you understand what’s driving that tension, and find a steadier rhythm again.

This content is created for educational purposes only. It is not a replacement for mental health services.