How to banish Sunday Scaries

Weekend ruined by the looming week ahead? Here are ways to end the worry.

- Tanith Carey

Most of us are familiar with the "Sunday Scaries". It's that creeping sense of apprehension about the week ahead, whether it's looming to-do lists, meetings, or busy commutes. And it's ruining what should have been be a relaxing weekend.

As many as 70% of us experience the Sunday Scaries regularly, with the figure rising to 75% for people aged 18 to 24, according to research for the Government's Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.

Here, we explore the research-backed strategies you can do in less than an hour to calm the Sunday Scaries and head confidently into the week ahead.

What do the Sunday Scaries feel like?

It often starts with a faint feeling on a Sunday morning as you realise the weekend is coming to an end. If you don't address them, by the evening the Sunday Scaries can develop into a full-blown sense of dread, which can take over your body.

Midlife Women's Certified Coach, Sophia Cleverly (@sophiacleverly), says: "We've all had the 'Sunday Scaries', the anxiety when your weekend seems to be already over and the hamster wheel begins again, and you are running on empty.

"They are a real psychological phenomena - linked to fluctuations in our levels of the stress hormone cortisol - and characterised by 'heightened anticipatory stress'. In other words worrying about upcoming work." So what should we do about it?

Weave in some routine

Rather than trying to push those worries aside, start naming them. This is because uncertainty triggers the same brain response as real danger, according to research.

A 2018 study in The Journal of Medical Internet Research found that journaling about anxieties over 12 weeks 'significantly' dialled down mental distress.

Another science-backed way to counteract this Sunday anxiety is to set aside time to plan your week, says midlife life coach Sophia. "Get a plain diary.