Tell me if this sounds familiar: it’s 5:47 p.m. on a Sunday. Your group chat is silent. Your to-do list is giving side-eye. You suddenly remember the one assignment you swore you’d finish by the weekend. And instead of resting, you’re spiraling—mentally fast-forwarding through the chaos of the week ahead.
That’s the Sunday Scaries. And while they feel personal, I’m convinced they’re not actually about Mondays at all—they’re about pressure. Specifically, the pressure to always be doing more.
Somehow, Sundays stopped being a day off and became “prep day.” Not in the relaxing, light-a-candle kind of way, but in the “better clean my whole apartment, meal prep for five days, answer emails, reset my entire life before 11:59 p.m.” kind of way. And if you don’t? You feel like you’re already behind, even though the week hasn’t started yet.
It’s not just about school or work—it’s about how deeply we’ve tied our worth to productivity. Even when we’re technically “off,” there’s this lingering guilt if we’re not using that time to somehow get ahead. So rest starts to feel… wrong.
Lazy, even.
I used to think I was just bad at time management. Like, maybe if I was more organized, I wouldn’t feel this constant sense of dread every Sunday. But now I realize: it’s not me. It’s the culture that tells us rest has to be earned, that every day should be optimized, that if you’re not planning, cleaning, or improving, you’re wasting time.
But here’s the thing—I’m tired. Not just physically, but mentally. And I don’t want my weekends to feel like unpaid overtime anymore.
So I’m trying something different. I’m reclaiming my Sundays—not by making a new checklist or building the perfect Sunday routine—but by letting myself just exist. Some Sundays, I still prep. But other Sundays, I rot. I order food, rewatch shows I’ve seen ten times, talk to my roommates about nothing. And honestly? It feels like rebellion. Peaceful, necessary rebellion.
Because Monday is going to show up regardless. I’d rather greet it with a clear head and a rested heart than with a stomach full of anxiety and a planner I never opened.
If you’re reading this and feeling the exact dread I described—just know you’re not alone. And also know: you’re allowed to rest. You don’t have to earn it. You already deserve it.
So go ahead. Rot a little. Rest a lot. The world will still be there tomorrow. But today? Today is yours.