For the longest time, I found myself in the worst of moods around every time it got dark on a Sunday.
For some reason, my smile would fade and a dark cloud would slowly creep over my head once the realization of “aw man…I gotta be a responsible adult again tomorrow.” And once I woke up on the coming Monday, I’d crawl out of bed extra groggy and totally not in the mood to do anything important. But I’d truck through that physical and mental funk, which is a routine that began to wear on me after a while.
Color me surprised when I found out about a term called the “Sunday Scaries.” It turns out that the feeling of dread I feel on Sunday nights can be attributed to that apt description — it’s an overwhelming emotion that comes from the lethal combination of anticipation, uncertainty, unfinished business, and the mental shift from weekend freedom back to weekday responsibility.
I went back to ChatGPT to find the best ways to eliminate the Sunday Scaries for good. Doing so resulted in me finding the most effective solutions that focus on reducing uncertainty and giving me something to look forward to on Mondays. And it all worked out for the better.
Planning out the coming Monday extra early
ChatGPT laid out an easy-to-tackle task that sets up my Friday as a proper preparation day for the coming Monday. Knowing that Sunday brings a sense of anxiety and urgency when I don’t know what awaits me, I asked the chatbot for a workable plan that has now become a central part of my Fridays.
That plan revolves around writing down my top three professional priorities for the coming Monday, jotting down important notes for each of those objectives, and even scheduling everything I’m supposed to do during my first hour of work. Mapping my plan of attack for the coming Monday once I log off from work on Friday has made me feel far less anxious about what’s to come as Sunday night winds down.
As soon as I plop myself down in front of my laptop bright and early on a Monday morning, I’m fully prepared to attack the day now that I have something to accomplish instead of being unprepared. Careful planning on Friday for Monday has now turned my Sundays into a far less stressful affair.
Some of the other remedies ChatGPT suggested for dodging the Sunday Scaries included:
- Create a 'Monday momentum' Task on Sunday: Don't start Monday with your hardest project. Instead, identify one task that takes 10-20 minutes to complete, creates visible progress and gives you a quick win for the day. The brain handles transitions better when it experiences success early.
- Do a weekly review: A 20-minute review can dramatically reduce anxiety. Ask yourself questions like what went well last week, what needs attention this week, what’s my biggest priority and what can wait? Uncertainty often feels bigger than reality. A review turns vague worries into specific tasks.
- Challenge catastrophic thinking: When Sunday anxiety appears, ask yourself questions like “What specifically am I worried about?”, “Is this a real problem or a hypothetical one” and “What evidence suggests things will be okay?”
- Limit work-related checking: Many people accidentally trigger their Sunday Scaries by checking their Slack, reading work-related emails and looking at any sort of uncompleted work. If possible, create boundaries. You don’t need to start Monday twice.
- Look beyond the week: Sometimes the Sunday Scaries aren't really about Monday. Ask yourself, "If every Sunday feels terrible, is there something bigger I'm avoiding?" Persistent Sunday anxiety can signal burnout, a lack of fulfillment, a poor work-life balance and a job that’s no longer a good fit. In that case, the solution isn’t a better Sunday routine—it's addressing the underlying cause.
The takeaway
ChatGPT is no substitute for a human therapist. But I did find that with a change in mindset and a proactive plan starting on Fridays, I’ve finally gotten the Sunday Scaries hump off my back.
The feeling of accomplishment I get from having a well-laid-out plan for the coming Monday has turned my Sunday into a far more chill day where I’m no longer freaking out about my professional responsibilities.
ChatGPT’s final statement on the matter gave me even more confirmation that proper readiness should be a daily part of my personal and professional lifestyle: "The goal isn't to eliminate all Sunday anxiety. The goal is to feel prepared enough that anxiety doesn't control the day."
