The weekend is the highlight of the week for many of us, the part we look forward to most, right up until Sunday afternoon. While no one wants the weekend to end, some people can’t even enjoy all of it because of a little thing known as the “Sunday scaries.”
If you’re lucky enough to not experience this, the feeling is described as anxiety (32%) or dread (17%) over what to expect for the week ahead, according to a new survey. The average American gets the “Sunday scaries” regularly … 36 times a year, the research finds. And it sets in around 3:54 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
The poll of 2-thousand U.S. adults also reveals:
- Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents admit Sundays are harder to enjoy because of the thought of the new week approaching.
- Those who get the Sunday scaries say that’s because of the stress about what they need to get done during the week (36%), before the week (28%) or just being unsure about how the week will go (33%).
- But for one in seven parents, the feeling comes from burnout and not getting enough rest for the upcoming week.
- To combat the feeling, people spend Sunday binge-watching their favorite shows (51%), and movies (42%), sleeping in (42%), cooking (31%) and going for walks (26%).
- Sunday scaries sufferers fight the anxiety off with music (47%), TV (46%), social media (29%), eating (27%) and cooking (22%).
- Sometimes, the weekend to-do list includes chores and the least favorites to do on Sundays are laundry (34%), cleaning (33%), dishes (23%) and yard work (21%).
- The average American knows they need downtime to unwind and relax and can only have four active weekends in a row before needing a breather.
- Americans wish they had more time on Sundays for sleeping (31%), watching TV (19%) and movies (17%), visiting loved ones (17%), mentally preparing for the week (12%) and reading (12%).
Source: Talker