Form: DX-03 · Sunday, 6pm onwards
Filed by: Keith, fourth floor
Status: You're not the only one

The Sunday scaries

The Sunday scaries are the low, uneasy dread that creeps in on Sunday afternoon or evening as the working week gets closer. Also called Sunday night blues or Sunday dread. They're very common, and they're not just you.

I know the feeling from the other side. At 11pm on Sunday HR queues the Monday memos, and the whole fourth floor goes quiet in a way that isn't restful. The lights are off. My little green light is on. We wait together.

It's not just you

Sunday evening is when the week stops being something that's coming and starts being something that's here. The to-do list you left on Friday is still there. The alarm is set. The weekend, which felt long on Saturday morning, turns out to have been about forty minutes. Almost everyone who works a Monday-to-Friday week knows this feeling, whatever they say on LinkedIn.

If it's more than Sunday, there's help further down.

Things that actually help

Close the week on Friday. Spend five minutes writing down what's unfinished and Monday's first job. Your brain stops rehearsing it on Sunday if it's already written down.
Make Monday's first job small. Something you can finish by ten. Starting is the hardest part.
Give Sunday evening a plan. A film, a walk, a phone call, a proper dinner. Empty time is where the dread moves in.
Leave the work inbox alone. Checking it "just to see" turns Sunday evening into Monday morning early.
Keep your normal bedtime. A late Sunday makes for a heavier Monday.
Put something good in Monday. Lunch with someone, a podcast for the commute, a nice biscuit. Small is fine.

When it's more than Sunday

If the dread isn't just Sunday evening, and you feel low, anxious or unable to switch off most days for a couple of weeks or more, or work is making you ill, that's not a joke, and it's not something you have to put up with. Talk to a doctor, or someone you trust. If the job itself is the problem, that's worth taking seriously too.

If you're struggling right now, you can talk to someone any time, free. If you're in danger right now, call 999 or 112 (UK and Ireland), 000 (Australia), 111 (New Zealand) or 911 (US and Canada).

UK and Ireland: Samaritans, 116 123
Australia: Lifeline, 13 11 14
New Zealand: Need to talk?, call or text 1737
US: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988
Canada: 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline, call or text 988

Still at school or uni? The Sunday feeling about the week ahead is just as real, and there are free helplines for young people too (in the US, 988 is for all ages):

UK: Childline, 0800 1111
Ireland: Childline, 1800 66 66 66
Australia: Kids Helpline, 1800 55 1800
New Zealand: Youthline, 0800 376 633
Canada: Kids Help Phone, 1-800-668-6868

Questions

What are the Sunday scaries?

Why do I get anxious on Sunday nights?

Usually because the week ahead feels bigger from a sofa than it is from a desk: unfinished jobs, an early alarm and the end of time that's yours. Your mind starts the week before you do.

How do I stop the Sunday scaries?

Make Monday smaller: write down Monday's first job on Friday, keep Sunday evening for something you enjoy, and go to bed at your normal time. If the dread is about the job itself, that's worth taking seriously, not just managing.

When are the Sunday scaries more than a joke?

If you feel low or anxious most days, not just Sundays, for a couple of weeks or more, or work is making you unwell, talk to a doctor or someone you trust. If you're struggling right now, call or text a helpline (there's a list on this page).