10 Ways To Beat Sunday Scaries About Work

The dread of work often hits hardest on Sundays. For some, Sunday scaries creep in on Saturday or even Friday night, turning what should be rest and recovery into a weekend of anxiety.

If tight deadlines, difficult coworkers, or a toxic culture are weighing on you, you are not stuck. With the right mindset, routines, and tools to change jobs when you are ready, you can turn Sunday scaries into a signal that it is time to take back control of your career.

What are Sunday scaries?

Sunday scaries is a term used to describe the anxiety and sense of dread people feel on Sundays as they anticipate the upcoming workweek. It is that sinking feeling when you remember you have to face the same meetings, projects, and people again on Monday.

Sunday scaries are especially common if you are:

• In a toxic or unsupportive work environment
• Going through a rough patch at work
• Feeling stuck, bored, or underutilized in your role
• Constantly bracing for conflict, criticism, or surprise demands

Why do I feel anxious on Sunday?

Sunday anxiety usually has very specific roots, even if it feels like a vague cloud of dread. You might feel anxious because you are dealing with:

• Unfinished tasks or looming deadlines
• Challenging coworkers or a toxic boss
• A chronically stressful job or too many responsibilities
• Underperforming direct reports and the weight of managing them
• Recent or upcoming conversations with HR
• Negative or ambiguous performance reviews
• A big project with high stakes and tight timelines
• Personal stress at home that spills into work
• A general feeling that you are in the wrong role or company

When there is no clear plan to improve these issues, your brain starts running worst-case scenarios. The good news: you can reduce Sunday scaries both by improving how you manage stress right now and by actively working toward a role that actually fits you.

10 ways to beat Sunday scaries

1. Update your resume and LinkedIn

Anxiety and dread can become powerful fuel for change. Instead of spiraling, channel that energy into getting your professional materials ready for better opportunities.

On Sundays, set aside focused time to:

• Refresh your resume with your latest responsibilities, results, and metrics
• Align your experience with the roles you actually want next
• Polish your LinkedIn headline, About section, and work history
• Ask colleagues or former managers for recommendations
• Share relevant insights or mini case studies in LinkedIn posts

Instead of using a generic resume builder, use Fitly to tailor your resume to specific roles. Upload your resume, add a target job description, and let the AI highlight gaps, optimize your bullet points, and surface the skills that matter most for that job. Seeing how well you match real roles can replace dread with a sense of momentum and possibility.

If someone in your life discourages you from changing jobs, remember: it is your career, not theirs. You are not obligated to stay in one place forever. Sunday scaries can be your strongest signal that it is time to grow.

2. Apply for new jobs

Once your resume and LinkedIn are in better shape, start applying. Ask yourself honestly: is feeling dread every single Sunday worth it?

Work will always involve effort and pressure, but constant anxiety, panic, or fear is a sign of misalignment. Rather than enduring it indefinitely, create a structured job search plan:

• Set a weekly application goal, such as 10 to 20 quality applications
• Block focused time in the evenings or on weekends just for job search tasks
• Batch similar tasks together - searching, tailoring, applying, following up

Fitly can help you move faster by aligning your resume to each specific job description. Instead of rewriting from scratch every time, you can adapt your existing resume to highlight the exact skills, responsibilities, and keywords that recruiters and ATS systems are looking for in that role. When you know your application is sharply targeted, you are more likely to send it - and to get interviews.

3. Meditate

Meditation will not magically change a bad boss or fix a broken culture, but it does help you manage the mental noise that makes Sunday scaries feel overwhelming.

Much of work stress is amplified by our mindset. When you are stuck in catastrophizing, each potential problem turns into a disaster in your head. Meditation gives you space from those thoughts so they are easier to observe and less likely to control you.

On Sundays, try:

• 5 to 10 minutes of simple breath-focused meditation
• Noticing anxious thoughts without arguing with them
• Pairing meditation with basic cognitive behavioral techniques, such as reframing worst-case assumptions into more balanced possibilities

Over time, this practice helps you respond to stress with more clarity. It also makes it easier to see when it is time to stay and problem-solve versus when it is time to prepare a strategic exit into a better role.

4. Exercise, sleep early, and practice self-care

Your weekends should recharge you, not deplete you further. If you go into Monday already exhausted, under-slept, and tense, every small work issue will feel bigger.

Build a Sunday routine that prioritizes:

• Movement - a walk, workout, yoga, dancing, or anything that gets your body moving
• Nutrition - balanced meals that support your energy instead of spiking and crashing it
• Sleep - a firm, early-ish bedtime so you do not start Monday already behind
• Genuine rest - time that is not just scrolling or venting, but actually restorative

Self-care looks different for everyone. It might mean reading a mood-boosting book, booking a massage, doing a home spa evening, journaling, or spending device-free time with people who make you feel safe and seen.

If your entire weekend is spent replaying work conversations, ranting about your job, and checking your email “just in case,” you are training your brain to stay in crisis mode. Protect your off-hours and you will show up stronger during on-hours.

5. Learn something new

One of the most empowering ways to cope with Sunday scaries is to invest in your own growth. A growth mindset assumes that skills are learnable with effort and practice - and that includes the skills you currently feel insecure about.

Use Sundays as a mini “personal development lab” by:

• Deepening your expertise in your core craft or industry
• Improving communication skills such as writing, presenting, or negotiating
• Exploring adjacent skills that could open the door to new roles
• Picking up a new hobby that reminds you what learning can feel like when it is fun

If specific weaknesses are driving your stress at work - maybe you struggle with data, stakeholder management, or time management - deliberately work on those. Each small improvement expands your options, both within your current company and beyond it.

6. Plan to spread more positivity

A surprisingly powerful antidote to dread is becoming a consistent source of positivity at work. You cannot control your entire environment, but you can influence the part of it that passes through you.

On Sundays, plan a few simple ways to uplift others during the week ahead, such as:

• Sending a genuine note of appreciation to a colleague
• Calling out team members’ good ideas in meetings
• Remembering and acknowledging birthdays or milestones
• Offering constructive, encouraging feedback instead of only criticism

At first, this might feel forced, especially if tensions are high. But over time, looking for opportunities to be kind rewires your brain to scan for what is working instead of only what is broken.

If your Sunday scaries are tied to a difficult boss, your positive presence will often be noticed by others who are also struggling with that person. You might not fix the culture alone, but you can ensure you are not adding to the negativity - and you will build a reputation as someone people want to work with.

7. Create an action plan for Monday

Ambiguity is stressful. When you do not have a plan for handling a situation, your mind fills the gap with worry. A simple Monday action plan can lower your Sunday anxiety by turning “I am dreading everything” into “I know my first steps.”

On Sunday, take 15 to 30 minutes to:

• Identify your top 3 priorities for Monday - not 20, just 3
• Write out any conversations you need to have and what you want from them
• Break down large tasks into smaller, actionable steps
• Decide when you will work on deep-focus tasks versus quick admin work

If a specific relationship at work is causing stress, plan your approach. That might be scheduling a candid conversation with a coworker to reset expectations, asking for mentorship, or documenting issues if you believe you may need to escalate them.

If you have recognized that your environment is fundamentally unhealthy, your action plan might include preparing to leave your job. That could involve researching companies, expanding your network, and using Fitly to align your resume with roles that better match your values, strengths, and salary expectations. Having a concrete career strategy makes Sunday feel less like a trap and more like a transition.

8. Make Sundays a fun activity day

If you treat Sunday as nothing more than a countdown clock to Monday, of course it will feel heavy. Redesign it as a day you genuinely look forward to.

You could:

• Plan a standing Sunday date night or activity with your partner or friends
• Schedule something active and engaging, like a fitness class, hike, or team sport
• Try new activities - karaoke, bowling, mini golf, pottery, cooking classes
• Host or join a low-pressure gathering or game night

The key is to give your brain a break from rumination. When you are absorbed in something enjoyable, you are not replaying Monday’s meeting in your head. Over time, you can train your mind to associate Sunday with connection and joy instead of anxiety.

9. Look over your accomplishments

Sunday scaries often come with a side of imposter syndrome: “Maybe I am not doing enough” or “Maybe they are going to find out I am failing.” One of the best antidotes is keeping a clear, organized record of what you actually achieve.

Create a simple “wins” system by:

• Maintaining a folder or document with shipped projects and key deliverables
• Capturing before-and-after metrics for work you improve
• Taking screenshots of positive feedback from teammates, clients, or managers
• Documenting when you go above and beyond your role description

Reviewing these on Sundays can remind you that you bring real value, even if your current environment does not always reflect that back to you. It also becomes powerful evidence for performance reviews, promotions, or future interviews.

10. Do not check work devices until Monday

Constant connectivity is a major driver of Sunday scaries. When you are checking email and chat all weekend “just in case,” you never truly switch off - and every ambiguous message becomes fuel for more anxiety.

Instead, set clear boundaries:

• Turn off work notifications after a set time on Friday
• Avoid checking email or chat on Sundays unless you are truly on call
• If you must check, schedule a single, short window and stick to it

Reading “We need to talk Monday” on Sunday afternoon serves no one. You will only spend hours imagining worst-case scenarios. Waiting until Monday morning means you are better rested and in work mode when you respond.

People with stronger work-life boundaries tend to experience less Sunday anxiety because their brain learns that weekends are safe, work-free zones. Protect that boundary as much as you realistically can.

Need to get rid of Sunday scaries for good?

Coping strategies help, but if you feel crushed every weekend by the thought of going back to work, the most powerful solution is often to change your environment.

Some workplaces are simply too toxic, chaotic, or misaligned to be fixed from the inside. In those cases, the healthiest move is to prepare your exit thoughtfully and step into a role where you are respected, supported, and challenged in the right ways.

Fitly, an AI-powered service by Jooble, helps you do this strategically. Instead of guessing what to put on your resume, you can:

• Upload your resume and target job descriptions
• See exactly how well you match each role
• Automatically adapt your resume to highlight the most relevant skills and experience
• Use data-driven insights to position yourself more competitively

By making your applications sharper and more aligned with each job, you increase your chances of landing interviews and offers - which is what ultimately frees you from Sunday scaries for good.

If you are ready to stop dreading Mondays, start by optimizing your resume for the roles you actually want. Take the first step with Fitly and move toward a job you feel excited about, not anxious about.