Sunday Scaries - Why Sunday Anxiety Is Not Normal
That heavy feeling settling in your chest as Sunday afternoon fades… It's trying to tell you something important. It might be time to listen.
Have you ever noticed how your dreamy Sunday morning coffee ritual gradually transforms into a knot in your stomach by late afternoon? Sunday anxiety, often referred to as "Sunday Scaries," is a form of anticipatory anxiety triggered by the impending start of the work week.
If that sounds like you, then you're not alone. Most people want to leave their jobs. In fact, nearly 70% of the Irish workforce plans to change jobs in 2025. This trend is driven by salary stagnation, limited career growth, and dissatisfaction with return-to-office policies. That's a lot of Sunday Sillies!
The Sunday to Monday Syndrome
Sunday anxiety doesn't happen in isolation. If you dread Sundays, you probably count down to Fridays with religious dedication, trudging through Mondays with a grimace, celebrating "hump day" Wednesday, and finally arriving at Friday with visions of weekend glory.
We've normalised this cycle because "everyone seems to get it." Social media amplifies this normalisation with #SundayScaries hashtags and memes about dreading Mondays. But just because something is common doesn't mean it's healthy or inevitable. When millions of people share their Sunday anxiety online, it creates the illusion that this is simply part of modern life that we must accept. But the numbers simply doesn't add up. Think about it, if you're wishing away your weekdays and spending half of Sunday marinating in dread, you're essentially writing off 6.5 days each week as "just getting through." The average life expectancy in Ireland is 83 years. That's 4,331 precious weeks of your life. If you're only truly living for Saturdays and half of Sundays, you're getting a return of just 1.5 days for every 7. It's like investing €100 and only getting €21 back.
Your Anxiety Is Speaking, Are You Listening?
That Sunday feeling isn't something to accept or ignore. It's your soul waving a big red flag, signalling that something fundamental needs your attention. If, like most, work is the source of your Sunday dread, it's time to examine your professional choices more closely. While most of us must work to cover life's essentials, we often have more choices about who we work for than we realise.
The Spillover Effect Is Real
The title of my master's dissertation was " The Spillover Effect: Investigating the factors influencing the Interplay between Gender-based Work-Related Stress and Its Impact on Personal Life and Wellbeing. An In-depth Exploration in Small Businesses." I carried out fresh research to test the current literature, and the results were similar. If you're unhappy at work, that unhappiness follows you home. It's called the spillover effect. You can't simply clock out at 6pm Friday and leave your work dissatisfaction behind, it hitches a ride into your personal life.
Breaking Free, Your Action Plan
If you're caught in the Sunday anxiety cycle, there are practical steps to reclaim your life.
Get specific. Is it the work, a colleague, management, pay, work-life balance, or the lack of growth opportunities?
Be realistic. Can you fix it? Is it within your control? If the issue is outside of you, remember you have no control over others' behaviours. Many workplace issues can be addressed through open communication. Be honest with yourself and be willing to make the hard decisions.
Invest in your development. This is key. Maybe where you are or what you've achieved professionally no longer serves you. 70% of the Irish workforce plans to change jobs in 2025. New skills can transform your current role or prepare you for a better one.
Connect with others in your field to discover different workplace cultures and opportunities.
Prioritise mental health. Practise meditation, walk in nature, or look to other support systems. Also, Consider reducing or avoiding social media on Sundays to minimise exposure to potentially mood-dampening content. Comparing your life to others' seemingly perfect Sunday experiences can exacerbate Sunday blues.
The Most Precious Resource
Above all, remember this, the meter of your life is running. Time is finite, and our most valuable resource so spend it wisely. Don't let Sunday anxiety steal another weekend. Your future self will thank you for taking action today.
If you're ready to transform your relationship with work and time. I can help you create the perfect conditions to realise your goals and build a fulfilling life. Click to contact
People I work with experience measurable change, 45% improvement in energy levels and 60% better work-life balance, resulting in overall life satisfaction and better sleep, work, mental, and physical health. Within 30 days, 85% report that they see sustainable results.
