WSJ told how to deal with the “Sunday handwriting”

People are increasingly experiencing unexplained anxiety, depression or fear on the Sunday night before the start of the work week. This phenomenon called “Sunday scaries” is becoming more common. The Wall Street Journal offers strategies to help you regain control of your condition.

The American Explanatory English Dictionary defines Sunday scaries as “the feeling of anxiety or sadness that a person may experience when the weekend is almost over; either because a work/school week is about to begin, or there is no more time for entertainment or rest on the weekend; or both.”.

The WSJ emphasizes that “Sunday blues” is not “ordinary fatigue”, but a psychological state associated with anticipation of work stress, a list of tasks and loss of control over personal time. Due to the blurred boundaries between office and home (especially in the era of remote work), this feeling becomes chronic. According to data collected for The Wall Street Journal by the analytical company ActivTrak, last year the share of Sundays that employees devoted to work messages and chats was about 12% (in 2023 this figure was equal to 6.6%).

Anxiety ahead of Monday is not a new phenomenon, but there is reason to believe that it is increasing as the workload increases. According to the results of the October study conducted by FlexJobs, more than half of the 2.1 thousand respondents in the United States experience Sunday scaries. Most often the reason for this is called unfinished business. It remains only a matter of time before this fear will spoil the Sabbath, turning it into a day when we will be preoccupied with the horror that will overtake us on Sunday.

To minimize the impact of the “Sunday blues”, experts recommend using the following methods:

Brain dump (brain dump) One of the main causes of anxiety is the fear of forgetting something. Instead of scrolling through tasks in your head, write them down on paper. When the to-do list for Monday is fixed, it’s easier for the brain to let go of those thoughts and relax. Constant checking of work mail or messengers on Sunday only fuels anxiety. The WSJ recommends setting a rule: no working content on weekends. This helps to create a psychological barrier between rest and work.

"Try to stay at work on Friday 'to officially finish things' or come to the office early on Monday 'so you don't end up in a stalemate,'" organizational psychologist Amy Cooper Hakeem advises. Fighting Sunday Scaries is not an attempt to completely eliminate stress, but the ability to manage your attention and restore resources. So that Sunday is not associated only with a premonition of Monday, it is worth giving up the idea that by the beginning of the week "everything should be ready and perfect.".

Scientists have found a link between the composition of the daily diet and how a person sleeps the next night. Studies have shown that people with a diet rich in fiber (vegetables, fruits, whole cereals, nuts), increased the duration of deep and REM sleep (phases of rapid eye movement), as well as reduced night pulse.