Work stress is no joke and can exacerbate an individual’s health concerns.

 In fact, a new health concern has emerged associated with the term ‘Sunday scaries’. Sunday scaries are also known as work-related anticipatory anxiety and are a worrying trend towards both employee and employer wellbeing. What is this spooky wellbeing concern? ‘Sunday scaries’ also named as work-related anticipatory sounds spooky and, in…

Sunday scaries: what is it?
The Sunday scaries are not a mental health condition but can mimic or exacerbate other mental health struggles. This phenomenon differs from clinical anxiety or depression, in that the symptoms show only in certain situations — namely, Sunday afternoons. In the worst of cases, the Sunday scaries consume the entire weekend.

How does overworking connect to the Sunday scaries?
Here is a progression of events that might seem familiar:

You worry about how your productivity is viewed at work. You begin to constantly go above-and-beyond (even after hours) just to keep your place. Eventually, you start working extra hours, “off the clock.” Over time, this unhealthy work culture comes with a cost. You might feel exhausted or agitated, without knowing why. This lowers your productivity and leaves you dreading work.

The above series of events reflect a recognizable pattern: the genesis of the Sunday scaries.

Many of us have experienced these feelings, but they shouldn’t be minimized. Why would you want to get used to dread, anxiety, and anticipatory depression, when you could fend off the Sunday scaries, themselves?

What to do
Here are some things that you can do to curb the Sunday Scaries and enjoy your weekend more. 

Set work boundaries
Setting boundaries in the workplace is particularly hard, and it’s not always feasible, but in some cases, it is. Setting work boundaries may look like telling your clients your business hours and sticking to them; if you say, “my business hours are 9-5,” or “my business hours are 10-6,” you will only work or reply to emails and calls during that time. Not everyone has this luxury, but one thing that you can do is leave thoughts of work behind when you clock out. 

Cut any self-imposed overworking
Setting work boundaries doesn’t just have to do with the people you work with. You might also have to set boundaries with yourself. It is tempting to spend all night getting things done in anticipation of the next day, but it isn’t always the most adaptive approach. If you set a time limit for yourself, stick to it. For example, if you tell yourself that after 6 PM, your time is reserved strictly for family and self-care, shut the laptop at 6 PM and turn your phone volume down.

Set aside time for something you enjoy
We often get so caught up in work that we forget to do the things we love. Scheduling time for the things that you enjoy is beneficial. For example, you can plan to get home at 5:30 PM and spend time with family for the evening, or you can say, “once I am done with this project for the night, I will go for a walk and reserve this evening to turn off my phone and work on art.” There are ways to adjust this to go with your schedule, whether you’re a freelancer or an hourly employee.

Rework your schedule
If possible, move those responsibilities that plague you on the weekend, such as laundry, grocery shopping, and so on, to a workday. This might mean washing your work uniform on Friday night so that you have it on Monday morning, or it might mean that you spend all of Friday wrapping up on any work that could fall into your weekend hours. If you do that, you’ll have more time to really take off on the weekend.

Reworking your schedule could even mean engaging in a psychological exercise where you pledge to stop thinking about work as soon as you get off on Friday and remind yourself, “I don’t need to think about that until Monday” when anxiety is about the week ahead pop into your mental space. 

Be realistic
Be realistic and give yourself compassion. Sometimes, we are overwhelmed for no tangible reason, and need to acknowledge that. If you notice that you are overwhelmed on a regular basis, you may consider adjusting where you allot your energy, how much time you spend on certain things (and on certain thoughts), or even looking for a new work position.