Merriam-Webster recently added a fresh batch of words and phrases to its dictionary, including looksmaxxing, trash panda, yacht rock, vibe coding and, yes, Sunday scaries.
If you’ve ever been enjoying a perfectly good Sunday when your brain suddenly reminds you about Monday morning, you probably don’t need a definition. The Sunday scaries describe that anxious, uneasy feeling that can creep in as the weekend winds down and the workweek gets closer.
Maybe you start mentally running through your to-do list. You remember the meeting you forgot to prepare for. Your inbox suddenly feels very present, even though you haven’t opened it. Or you simply feel a pit in your stomach knowing the alarm is going off tomorrow.
Sound familiar?
While a little anticipation before a busy week is normal, regularly dreading Monday may be worth paying attention to.
The Sunday Scaries describe feelings of anxiety, worry or dread about the upcoming workweek.
They're especially common among people who work a traditional Monday-through-Friday schedule, although the feeling can happen before the start of any work cycle.
Psychologists describe the Sunday Scaries as anticipatory anxiety. Basically, your brain is reacting to something that hasn't happened yet. You might be sitting comfortably on your couch Sunday evening, but mentally, you're already in Monday morning's meeting.
That worry can make it difficult to enjoy what's left of the weekend.
And sometimes it shows up physically, too. Signs of the Sunday Scaries may include:
For some people, it's a mild "ugh, Monday" feeling. For others, Sunday anxiety can take over a significant part of the day.
Pretty common. An Adobe survey found that 82% of working Americans have experienced the Sunday Scaries. Among Gen Z workers, that number jumped to 94%. So if Sunday afternoon sometimes feels less like the weekend and more like the unofficial start of Monday, you're far from alone.
There's usually no single reason. But here are the most common reasons.
Workload and deadlines. In the Adobe survey, burnout (55 percent), heavy workloads (50 percent), and upcoming deadlines (33 percent) were the top sources. If you already know Monday is going to be packed, your brain starts bracing for it early.
Blurry boundaries. When work email lives on your phone, the weekend never fully closes. The same Adobe research found that people with Sunday scaries put in an average of 72 hours of weekend work per year.
Not knowing what's coming. An unclear week feels heavier than a busy one. If you can't picture Monday morning, your mind fills in the blanks, and it rarely picks the good version.
The end of downtime. Sunday evening is a transition, and most of us don't plan for it. Going straight from relaxing to "the week starts now" is jarring.
A job that isn't a great fit. If the dread shows up every single week and sticks around for days, it may be telling you something about the job itself.
Fortunately, there are ways to make that transition feel a little less daunting.
You probably can't get rid of them overnight. You can take the edge off, though, and a few small habits go a long way.
One of the best ways to help Sunday-you might be to make life easier for Friday-you.
Before wrapping up the workweek, take five or ten minutes to write down what needs your attention when you return. Identify your top priorities and leave yourself a clear starting point for Monday.
That way, you don't have to spend Sunday night trying to remember everything waiting for you.
It's tempting to "get ahead" by checking email, reviewing your calendar or knocking out a few tasks Sunday evening. Sometimes that's necessary. But when it becomes a habit, work can start taking over the final hours of your weekend.
If your job allows it, give yourself permission to stay logged off. Those emails will still be there Monday morning.
Sunday doesn't have to be one long countdown to Monday.
Make room for something that gives you energy, whether that's meeting a friend for coffee, taking your dog for a long walk, watching football, cooking something you love or spending an hour completely absorbed in a hobby.
The goal isn't to create the "perfect Sunday." It's to make sure your weekend still feels like yours.
When your mind starts racing through everything that could happen this week, movement can help redirect some of that energy.
Go for a walk. Stretch. Ride your bike. Hit the gym. Work in the yard.
Physical activity is one of the healthy strategies recommended by the American Psychological Association for managing stress. It doesn't have to be a full workout to count.
Sometimes tiny bits of preparation can remove a surprising amount of friction.
Set out your clothes. Pack your lunch. Fill your water bottle. Put your keys where you'll find them. Decide what you're having for breakfast.
You don't need a two-hour Sunday reset routine. Just take care of a couple of things that will make tomorrow morning feel calmer.
An occasional case of the Sunday scaries is one thing. Feeling intense dread every weekend is another.
If you're consistently anxious about returning to work, consider what's underneath that feeling. Is your workload manageable? Are expectations clear? Do you feel supported? Are you able to disconnect when you're off? Do you have enough control over how you get your work done?
If the Sunday Scaries are intense every week or are interfering with your sleep and ability to enjoy your time off, they may also be worth discussing with a mental health professional. Persistent Sunday anxiety can sometimes point to a bigger source of work stress that needs attention.
We tend to frame the Sunday scaries as an individual problem: relax more, prepare better, stop checking email.
But workplaces have a role to play.
Clear expectations, manageable workloads, supportive managers and respect for employees' time away from work can all help create an environment where people don't spend Sunday worrying about Monday.
Giving employees more autonomy matters, too. Research on workplace stress has long found that giving employees more control over how they do their jobs can help reduce stress.
Even small cultural habits can help. Avoid sending non-urgent weekend messages. Make Monday mornings less meeting-heavy when possible. Encourage employees to actually use their PTO. Talk openly about workload before someone becomes overwhelmed. If work is consistently causing stress before the week even begins, it may be time to look at what’s making Monday feel so difficult in the first place.
If Sunday evening occasionally comes with a few butterflies about the week ahead, you're in plenty of company.
Try giving yourself a clear starting point for Monday, protect some of your weekend from work and do something that helps you feel like yourself before another busy week begins.
And if Sunday scaries is now official enough for the dictionary, maybe feeling them is also a good reminder that workplace well-being doesn't start when employees clock in Monday morning.
Sometimes it starts with giving them the space to enjoy Sunday.