Soothe the Sunday Scaries

How to replace workweek dread with Funday

- BY Leslie Finlay

MOST OF US look forward to the weekend as a time to relax, connect with friends and family, and tackle items from a todo list that gets neglected during the workweek. But as the weekend comes to an end, many of us are missing out on Sunday Funday and instead experiencing a looming sense of anxiety and even dread about the upcoming week. Experts have dubbed this existential worry the "Sunday scaries." Polls say 75% to 80% of people experience these Sunday scaries, says Amanda Stemen, a licensed therapist and owner of Fundamental Growth, a therapy practice in Los Angeles.

"The Sunday scaries is an overwhelming feeling of dread and anxiety about going to work or school the next day," says Renée Goff, a licensed clinical psychologist and the owner of Orchid Wellness & Mentoring, an online mental health service. And it can be experienced physically as well as mentally.

"Some people describe it as a heaviness they can feel in their body, while others feel so jittery they could jump out of their skin," says Goff.

Anticipatory anxiety is a natural response that happens in preparation for anything that can cause pain or discomfort, including the pressures and deadlines of our jobs and fear of losing the financial security they provide.