Why Does the End of the Weekend Bring Anxiety

In an article for the Cleveland Clinic, psychologist Susan Albers confirms it’s normal to get the Sunday blues when the weekend comes to a close (1). According to Abers, the feelings of intense anxiety and dread routinely occur every Sunday afternoon; however, “depending on a person’s level of anxiety, these feelings can start as soon as they get out of bed.”

Anxiety around Sunday can even have physical manifestations, like a racing heartbeat, sweating, difficulty breathing, trembling, an upset stomach, trouble sleeping, or even a throbbing headache. Remember: This happens to many people — you aren’t alone.

Physiological symptoms can be mentally rooted since our cognitive load is significantly lowered during the weekend, so letting our guard down is easy.

Albers suggests that it takes a lot of mental energy to prep for upcoming tasks, and the Sunday Scaries represent our brains gearing up to access the parts that weren’t utilized during the weekend.

How Companies Can Help Ease Weekend Anxiety

Researchers at the University of Exeter discovered in 2023 that the boundaries between home and work life have blurred since the pandemic, intensifying the Sunday blues (2).

Professionals most affected by the Sunday Scaries are those who receive emails over the weekend, those who feel forced to work through weekends or have unfinished work, and those who suffer from their self-imposed pressure to perform.

To lighten the mood on Sundays, managers can actively participate and offer ways for their employees to cope with the anxiety. Thanks to extensive research, the University of Exeter developed a toolkit with strategies managers can apply to help their workforce deal better with Sunday syndrome.

The University has outlined several methods, including checking in with teams on Fridays, arranging positive interactions on Mondays to give people something to look forward to, and encouraging employees to complete their to-do lists on Fridays to help alleviate the Sunday night blues. However, it’s important to note that it takes a collaborative effort between employers and employees to make the plans work. 

Sunday is the Day of Rest in Many Cultures

The world may be divided on whether a week starts or ends on a Sunday, but there’s a consensus about what the day means. The word used across languages commonly translates to the “Sun’s Day” or “Day of Sun,” writes Jack de Graaf on Fact Site in 2023 (3).  

We must admit that we like the Slavic meanings the most. According to Graaf, in the Slavic languages of Polish, Ukrainian, Croatian, and Bulgarian, the word Sunday means “no work.”

References

1. Cleveland Clinic. “What Are the ‘Sunday Scaries’?” Cleveland Clinic Org, December 8, 2023. | https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sunday-scaries

2. Ben Dickenson Bampton. “Sunday Night Blues caused by weekend emails and blurred boundaries, study reveals.” University of Exeter, March 14, 2023. | https://news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-environment-science-and-economy/sunday-night-blues-caused-by-weekend-emails-and-blurred-boundaries-study-reveals/

3. Jack de Graaf. “22 Super Facts About Sunday.” FactSite, January 27, 2023. | https://www.thefactsite.com/sunday-facts/