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Imagine you wake up on a late Sunday morning, and as you roll over, you see the sun shining through the curtains, and a total sense of relaxation sets in. 

Then, suddenly, an overwhelming sense of dread and responsibility comes flying in like a wrecking ball sans Miley Cryus.

Emergency Alert: WARNING – The Sunday scaries will be active in your area until 11:59 PM (EDT).

The phenomenon of the Sunday scaries, the dread and anticipation of work that comes before Monday, has exploded in pop culture and continues to be a conversation topic among students and professionals. 

Although the Sunday scaries may seem like an unavoidable side effect of being an adult, it is a construct we have allowed to ruin the latter half of an already short weekend.

A survey conducted by LinkedIn researchers in 2018 found that 80% of professionals claimed to experience the Sunday scaries, with a majority of Millennial and Generation Z participants identifying with this feeling.

As hybrid and fully remote jobs become more prevalent, the lines between where work stops and personal life starts become increasingly blurred, making it difficult to leave work behind on days off and give our brains a mental break.

While I can appreciate the unity in the struggle, it’s time to step out of complacency and take back the weekends. 

It’s time to pull a Ross and Rachel on the Sunday scaries, and yes, they were on a break.

Instead of succumbing to the weekly nightmare of the Sunday scaries, we can set ourselves up for success. Some suggestions to avoid the Sunday scaries include leaving Friday prepared for Monday and planning events to look forward to during the week rather than focusing on ones you dread. 

One of the most simple, although not always easy, solutions is to change our attitude around Sundays. Being intentional about how Sundays are spent and thinking more positively about the time we have to enjoy can be like gaining an extra day to recharge.

In this day and age, being overwhelmed has become the normal state of existence, and too often, we worry about the future to the point that we don’t appreciate the present. 

If this generation is known for anything, it’s for the ability to beat the status quo and not fall victim to endless cycles like previous generations. The Sunday scaries are no different, and it is time to go to work (literally). 

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