Someone in Chicago is struggling with the 'Sunday scaries'

An advice column where Chicago can ask questions on how to navigate life transitions, relationships, family, finance and more.

Dear Ismael,

How do I deal with the “Sunday scaries?” Every Sunday night I’m anxious about the upcoming week and feel unprepared.

— Unprepared in Rogers Park

Dear Unprepared,

You’re not alone. Anyone who has ever dreaded going to work knows the feeling. It turns out 80% of professionals worry about the upcoming workweek on Sundays — with over 90% of Millennials and Gen Z reporting they experience it — and there’s even a study that says the Sunday scaries’ average time of arrival is about 3:58 p.m.

Although the Sunday scaries are common, dealing with them can be complicated because we each experience anxiety differently based on personal circumstances or professional factors that might make our job a living nightmare.

I’ve experienced pre-work anxiety at both ends of the spectrum, from a little shiver I get bracing for a cringey meeting to extreme uneasiness — not just on Sunday night, but every evening before going to the office.

The latter happened when I was a young breaking news reporter at my first newspaper job. I was so overworked that I would have anxiety nightmares of fake assignments.

I would wake up in the middle of the night and, even though I knew the assignments were not real, I would control my breathing and go through how I could complete my tasks. Who am I going to call first? How will my story be written? And, most importantly, how will I fit this into the daily work I already have to do?

Provided by Casey Jackson

The answer to combating the Sunday scaries is somewhere in that horrible experience. We need to feel in control of our future tasks. And there are ways to achieve that (I’ll get to them), but if your situation is as extreme as mine was, those tips will be like fighting a fully engulfed house fire with a bucket of water.

I recommend you do what I did — get enough entry-level experience, start applying for other jobs and leave that unhealthy work environment. I haven’t had work anxiety nightmares since.

But if your pre-work anxiety doesn’t require an on-call therapist, here are some tips that have worked for me and some friends I asked for advice:

Stay in charge and at ease

This isn’t scientific, but housekeeping experts like my mother say the cleanliness of your home affects your mental health. Doing laundry, cleaning your kitchen and giving your home a nice sweep session might not be the funnest thing to do on a Sunday, but they are tasks you could do in a short amount of time that will pay off immensely by shortening your to-do list.

If things are unpredictable at work, make sure the things you can control at home are taken care of.

Craft a mental checklist for Monday

Taking five minutes to think about what your first day back will look like can be helpful. What task will take priority? Can you schedule a Slack message to send on Monday morning? What’s something easy you can do that will help you feel in control on Monday?

This doesn’t have to happen on Sunday. Take the last five minutes before your Friday shift ends, so it won’t take time from your weekend.

Look forward to things that bring you joy

I was very surprised when I read about the 3:58 p.m. Sunday scaries time of arrival, but it makes sense. After you go to Sunday brunch and take care of errands, that’s around the time you sit alone with your thoughts.

Fill that dark void by creating a Sunday evening ritual. Put your phone on “do not disturb,” and cook a nice dinner or escape reality for two hours at the movies.

I’ll leave y’all with a piece of advice a friend suggested: Treat yourself to something sweet on Monday morning. Get that $7 iced coffee before going to work, girlie.

Write to Someone in Chicago at someoneinchicago@suntimes.com.