If you’ve never heard the expression “Sunday scaries,” I’d be willing to bet you can guess what it refers to: that vague, gnawing anxiety that builds as the weekend winds down and your chaotic work week looms ever closer. The Sunday scaries are a great injustice. You work so hard to get two blissful days off and then your mind sabotages one of them?! If you share my outrage, I encourage you to read on for an expert’s take on what causes the Sunday scaries, plus how I learned to conquer them and reclaim my weekend.
How to Get Rid of the Sunday Scaries, According to a Psychologist
Because they are the worst
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Published Jul 24, 2025
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Meet the Expert
Dr. Stefanie Mazer, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist and the founder of Mindwise Inc., a boutique therapy practice focused on personal growth. With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Mazer specializes in anxiety, depression, trauma, relationships and performance-related stress.
What Are the Sunday Scaries?
There’s not just one way to experience the Sunday scaries; they might manifest as indecision, general angst or a vague feeling of being overwhelmed without being able to identify the cause. Or, as the expert describes it, “the Sunday scaries are a form of anticipatory anxiety that often begins late Sunday afternoon and builds into the evening, as the weekend winds down. It’s that unsettled feeling in your chest, a tight stomach, or a sense of unease that’s hard to name.”
If you’re experiencing the Sunday scares, you may have intrusive thoughts about unfinished emails, early meetings or just the pressure of shifting back into a more structured, demanding version of yourself. “The weekend offers a brief escape, but by Sunday night, the return to expectations can feel abrupt and overwhelming,” says Mazer. Worse still, the expert points out that “the mind often jumps ahead to worst-case scenarios, magnifying stress that hasn’t even happened yet.” (Omg, what if my laptop runs out of battery during the presentation tomorrow?) Needless to say, this kind of anticipatory anxiety isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. In fact, it can disrupt sleep, thus robbing you of your last remaining hours of rest, and set the tone for a tense start to the week.
What Causes the Sunday Scaries?
“Sunday scaries come from more than just not wanting the weekend to end,” says Mazer, adding that “much of it has to do with identity—shifting from who you are in your own time to who you have to be at work.” Additionally, the expert tells me that the anxiety might be particularly acute if your job feels misaligned or emotionally draining, because your nervous system begins to brace for that shift before it even happens.
But Sunday is supposed to be the day of rest, you say.And therein lies the great irony: “The quiet of Sunday can bring up things you’ve been avoiding all week: fear of not being good enough, guilt about not doing more, or anxiety about being judged. It’s not just dread about tasks, it’s dread about the version of yourself you have to put back on,” notes Mazer. So, what does one do with all that dread? Well, it typically just builds in the background and manifests as restlessness, irritability, or a heavy feeling that you can’t shake. Unless, that is, you have some success managing it with the following strategies.
5 Ways to Get Rid of the Sunday Scaries
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1. Create a Sunday Night Routine
The expert advises that “instead of letting the evening slip into anxious overthinking, set aside time for something that marks the end of your weekend with intention.” This could be cooking your favorite meal (or maybe knocking out your weekly meal prep), listening to music, journaling or taking a walk with a friend. Bottom line: “When your brain feels like it’s in control of something, it’s less likely to default to fear.”
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2. Plan Monday with Boundaries and Breaks
Nothing soothes an anxious soul quite like a solid plan. For this reason, Mazer recommends that you carve out ten minutes Sunday afternoon to map out your upcoming tasks realistically. So what does realistic look like, you ask? It means taking into account your need for time to “reset, move your body, or even just breathe—because knowing you’ve built in breathing room lowers your brain’s sense of threat and makes Monday feel more manageable.” After all, the goal is to look at Monday (and the rest of the work week, for that matter) with a sense of clarity, rather than fear.
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3. Limit Screen Time
“It’s easy to fall into doomscrolling or mindless watching as a way to avoid the discomfort of the night, but digital overload keeps your nervous system activated and scattered, making it harder to rest or reset,” explains Mazer. Instead, choose something that allows your mind to relax, so you can better process and sit with your emotions without them spiraling out of control. More on this later, but hobbies, books and outdoor recreation are all good alternatives to mindless screentime.
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4. Name the Fear Out Loud or On Paper
You’re dreading something—but, as Mazer explains, anxiety feeds on vagueness: “When you’re feeling that heavy pit in your stomach, try writing down exactly what you think is going to go wrong. Often, the act of naming it pulls it out of the shadows and reduces its grip. Once it's in front of you, your rational mind can step in and bring some perspective.” So instead of feeling worried about going into the office tomorrow, you might write down something like, I’m worried that I’m not prepared for tomorrow morning’s check in meeting. Then you might realize that actually you are prepared or perhaps just a quick scan over your notes from last week will set you up for success.
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5. Engage In a Hobby
As previously mentioned, Sunday anxiety is really about identity; it’s an internal struggle that happens when we forget who we are when we aren’t in performance mode. As such, Mazer recommends that you combat the Sunday scaries by doing something small that reconnects you to yourself: a creative hobby, a walk, or even just a meaningful conversation with someone who makes you feel understood. “It doesn’t have to be productive, it just has to feel real,” she says, adding that this type of affirmation will “help your nervous system feel grounded and less like it’s bracing for impact.”
My Experience Getting Rid of the Sunday Scaries (Using the Above Tips)
I tried the expert’s strategies for managing the Sunday scaries, and I have to admit—they mostly worked, though I tailored them to suit my unabashed need for laziness. For starters, I broke the screen time rule a bit, but I did avoid LinkedIn and email entirely. Instead, my husband and I binge-watched a show that morning…and it was great.
After four episodes, we agreed the screen time was getting excessive. He hopped in the shower, and I used that ten-minute window to jot down a rough to-do list for Monday (return emails, reach out to sources, do laundry, work while laundry runs, watch one hour of TV, etc.). I’m a huge fan of to-do lists as a self-soothing measure, so I wasn’t surprised when it helped calm that creeping sense of dread.
Next, we decided to revive our favorite hobby—chess (it’s how we met!). We played a few rounds together and against online opponents. Not mindless, definitely meaningful. As for my nighttime routine…let’s just say I had good intentions (cook dinner, read a book) but ended up watching more TV and ordering dinner instead. No regrets—the season finale was gripping and the pizza was very tasty.
Of all the expert’s tips to combat the Sunday scaries, the to-do list was the most effective. It knocked out two strategies in one: planning ahead and facing my fears on paper. I also found it helpful to turn off the TV, because that wasn’t the most meaningful or rewarding way to engage with my partner. The takeaway? Sunday can feel restful, but you have to put in a little work in the form of mindful planning to make it that way. (And trust me it’s worth it.)
