Bare minimum Mondays might do the trick for you, but if not – or if you just want some other tools in your arsenal – here’s how the experts recommend tackling the Sunday scaries head-on.

Get to the root of your Sunday scaries

“Some of us may struggle with the Sunday scaries because of a few reasons,” says Ghosh. “It could be that you work in a very pressured environment and thus feel this pressure straight away when it comes to mid-afternoon Sundays and evening. It could also be your work environment and culture isn’t currently suiting you and the anxiety around this is making you dread your week ahead. One other reason could be that the people you work with often cause you to worry or stress about work and stop you from doing your work.”

“There are two main factors why people experience the Sunday scaries,” believes Jones. “Overwhelm: when someone feels like they have no control over their time and workload, the thought of going to work fills them with dread and anxiety. This is compounded if they also feel like they have limited agency in their personal life. Lack of purpose: if someone is doing work that feels misaligned with their core values, who they are or the career they aspire to have, then it may be really hard for them to be enthused and motivated to go back to work after the weekend.”

Have a real, hard think about what’s triggering Sunday anxiety and overwhelm. Is it an internal pressure? Do you hate your commute? Is your job making you miserable – and is it time to move on?

Are ‘bare minimum Mondays’ the answer to the Sunday scaries?