The Sunday Scaries Are Real-Time Feedback
Updated September 15, 2026
A simple way to notice when something may be off in your relationship with work is to check in with how you feel on Sundays. If you experience dread or anxiety as the workweek approaches, you may be experiencing what’s commonly called the "Sunday Scaries."
Inside my Sunday Scaries
When I left my consulting career back in 2010, my Sunday Scaries were so severe that I would stay in bed until the last possible moment. This wasn't like me at all. I'm an early riser, yet my behavior and response to work told a different story. I would drag myself out of bed, thinking of countless things I'd rather be doing than going to work.
I believed my career was prestigious, rewarding, and intellectually challenging. My identity was “Jessica from Deloitte.” Work was a daily puzzle to solve, and being a top performer went with the territory. When it came to Sunday, though, I was barely functioning.
The most unsettling part was the disconnect between work I used to love and my growing sense of dread. It was both alarming and confusing. I'm grateful my younger self listened and slowed down enough to recognize the truth: I was evolving faster than my work and growth path could accommodate.
I wonder if you're at a similar inflection point, one you've never experienced before. When we're evolving, it's natural to encounter moments where our habits of work don't work anymore. Sometimes the friction is a sign that the way we've been working needs to evolve with us.
Now, I can barely remember those feelings of dread. My relationship with work is very different today. I look forward to the conversations with clients, the learning, and the work itself. Sunday no longer carries the weight it once did.
Real-Time Feedback
The Sunday Scaries can be a useful signal that something deserves your attention.
Think back to the first few weeks at a new company, or the period after a promotion. You may have felt energized by the possibilities ahead, even when the work itself was demanding.
That contrast is worth noticing.
3 Questions to Explore the Sunday Scaries.
Before trying to make the feeling go away, get curious about what it might be telling you.
Scan the week ahead. Notice what gives you energy and what you find yourself resisting. A key meeting, time with your team, completing a project, or getting space to think. What are you looking forward to, and what are you not?
Notice the story that’s forming. Pay attention to what you’re telling yourself about the week ahead without immediately trying to change it. What is the friction you feel on Sunday trying to tell you?
Onboard again to the role you have now. Your role may have changed. Your definition of success may have changed. You may have changed. Does the way you’re working still fit what the role and you need now?
The “Sunday Scaries” are often real-time feedback, not something to ignore or power through.
If this resonates, consider what your own reaction might be signaling to you.
Noticing what has changed may be the first step toward deciding what needs to change next.
