The Sunday Scaries: How to Beat Them

3 Sept

Flashback to the 1990s: I can hear the da dum, da dum, da dum, da dum, da dum dum dum dum… drifting from the kitchen while my mom stands at the ironing board, school uniform in hand.

The soundtrack? The Antiques Roadshow theme, of course. And for me, that was the clear, unmistakable sign: Weekend over. Homework to do (which I’d avoided all weekend). Time to face Monday morning. I actually liked school most of the time.

Today, as kids and teens all over the country head back to school, it’s not just their summer break that’s ending, the season itself is winding down. Whether you’ve been away or not, there’s that subtle shift in the air: autumn’s coming, the pace is picking up, and maybe… you’re feeling it too.
Maybe it’s just a touch of Sunday sadness. Or maybe it’s something heavier. That creeping sense of dread that starts Sunday evening and lingers into Monday night, Tuesday night… even the moment before you step out of your car and into the office.

It’s a term used to describe the sense of anxiety, dread, or unease that creeps in on a Sunday - usually in the late afternoon or evening - as the reality of the upcoming workweek starts to settle in.

They’re that knot in your stomach, racing thoughts about the week ahead, regret over a weekend that went too fast, or simply a sense of unease as Monday approaches. They often bring a poor night’s sleep (ask any teacher - Sunday night is the hardest to drift off).

And they’re not always about hating your job. Sometimes they’re about responsibility, lost freedom, or the pressure to switch on again. For me, it’s often that sudden awareness of how quickly the weekend vanished, and how much of it got eaten up by stuff to do before heading back to another week of… more stuff to do.

Research says around two-thirds of Brits feel the Sunday Scaries, with young adults hit hardest: 74% of 18-24 year olds experience ‘heightened anticipatory anxiety’ as the weekend closes. Our coping mechanisms?

18-24s: scroll social media
25-32s: binge-watch TV
33-40s: comfort eat
40+ well, probably a mix of all three

Here’s the thing: I don’t believe we have to just accept this as normal - especially when it starts bleeding into the rest of our week. There’s a better way.

From my experience (and from working with hundreds of people), I’ve learned that purpose: the clear, practical kind you can actually live out, is the antidote. Not to erase the Sunday Scaries completely, but to ease them.

You see, knowing what you are good at, what your values are, what is important to you, what your contribution is, is key to helping you make the transition into work from the weekend. It means you aren’t constantly hustling and trying to earn your worth by working harder. It adds meaning to your Monday, grounds you in the bigger picture, helps you prioritise what really matters, and moves you from fearing the week ahead, to feeling more in control.

This week’s podcast episode dives into: