Investigating the Sunday Scaries: a Forgotten Day of Rest and Relaxation

Sunday. 

The word alone evokes a shudder of fear in one’s body, even on a fun Friday night. The piles of homework that a student has ignored all weekend, the emails left unopened, and the infamous Sunday laundry all contribute to a typical college student’s dread of the end of the weekend.

However, this sentiment is not unique to busy college students. In a 2018 study conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of LinkedIn, 80% of professionals expressed heightened feelings of stress on Sundays, reflecting a broader societal phenomenon known as the “Sunday Scaries.” 

Broken down by generations, the study reports that 94% of Gen Z individuals are intimately familiar with Sunday anxiety, compared to 69% of Boomers and older generations. The drastic increase between generations signals a major uptick in anxiety amongst younger people, yet it was not unfamiliar to our aunts and grandparents. So what is it about this day of the week that has instigated such a fundamental hatred among the general public?

“I think it’s not just the energy of the looming week, but I also think that it’s this fear that you were unproductive, because it makes you feel bad about yourself,” Annie Litter ’29 said. 

Gen Z’s recent obsession with locking in has risen in recent years, causing one to feel guilty if they are not constantly productive. In an article by Dazed Magazine, Isabel Bekele reports on how many individuals are turning towards elaborate routines to increase productivity, in which Sunday becomes a competition to prove how disciplined they are. The article equates past trends such as the “75 Hard” and “winter arc” to “The Great Lock In” of 2025. Those who take part in The Great Lock In are prompted to engage with regimented routines designed to ultimately improve all areas of their life, whether that be personal or career related. 

In an email to The Argus, WesWell Health Promotion Specialist Sarah Gossman touched on the somewhat counterproductive wellness routines, such as The Great Lock In, that are popular among college students. 

“I am a firm believer that there is no need to overcomplicate wellness,” Gossman wrote. “I think routines can help us prioritize what’s important to us in our schedules, but not to a point where it adds more stress. I think social media tells us all that self-care and wellness need to be these intricate routines. In reality, self-care can be as simple as saying ‘no’ or getting enough sleep each day.”

A number of students at the University, including Elanora Smith ’27, agree with Grossman’s suggestions.

“I don’t think you need a million self-care products or an hour-long meditation routine or a structured journal prompt to maintain your mental health; you should just find something sustainable that works for you,” Smith wrote in a message to The Argus. “I think that social media can also especially exacerbate a feeling of comparison that goes along with this.”

As many University students know well, the rising use of social media and staying overly connected with each other can foster a negative perception of what one’s self-care should look like, and what the right path is for a college student. Obsessively worrying about the future may impede a virtue that younger generations are abandoning at a rapid pace: living in the moment. 

“I think especially at a prestigious university like Wesleyan, people get into cycles of comparison to others and feeling stressed about summer internships or post-grad jobs or having a set plan for the future,” Smith wrote. “I know for myself and the people I talk to, it can really distract from the fact that we are only in college for four years and we should be focused on living in the moment.”

Gossman reflected on the tension she experienced as a college student trying to savor her current experience while also contending with the ever-looming presence of graduate school and job hunts. 

“It’s hard to find that balance of staying in the moment and also wanting to prepare for the next step,” Gossman wrote. 

Some students at the University feel living in the 21st century doesn’t make this practice any easier. While Sundays have long been seen as the day of rest, they have become a day of interruptions in the form of reminders and notifications. Google Calendar nags us at every moment, sticky notes pasted to mirrors distract from bedroom relaxation, and unchecked journal entries contaminate the air of peace that Sundays are supposed to foster. This ultimately represents the growing trend of burnout and overworking that leads students to depressive and anxious episodes. 

“I do think it’s harder to have full peace because of notifications and constantly getting reminded of things,” Sophie Beemer ’29 said. “I feel like even if I have no homework, no plans, there’s still that extra tier of I could be doing better, other people my age are doing better.”

Gossman stated that language use plays a large role in how students compare themselves to others, including the term “stress bragging,” which praises overworking as an accomplishment. 

“Although stress bragging is usually not ill-intended, I often hear and see people thinking that a lack of rest and pushing yourself is a good thing,” Gossman said. “Here at WesWell, we try to reframe these thoughts, whether it’s individual appointments with students or through workshops and training. Language, like in many instances, matters!”

Gossman’s attention to intentional language can be a helpful tool for those who are struggling with overworking themselves. Our thoughts dictate how we perceive internal and external influences. Although environments around us may be exerting pressure on how we should view where we are in our career and academic journeys, reassessing how and why we think a certain way can help us regulate our nervous systems, become less stressed, and feel less guilt when not taking time for ourselves. 

The guilt that many students face from not going the extra mile can increase academic anxiety. Even during times of rest and breaks from school, pressure to get one’s life together compels some individuals to compare and compete with each other. Sometimes, students feel as though there is not enough time to achieve a place of rest and relaxation. Further, when prioritizing the quantity of work completed over its quality, many students overlook the virtue of slowing down and practicing self-reflection. 

“It depends on how much work I have, but if I have a lot of work in all my classes, I do it to a lesser level,” Litter said. “That’s why I like balance in my classes.”

Sundays have previously helped slow the pace of one’s week, allowing for moments of solitude. When one spreads oneself too thin over the course of a day, whether that is with schoolwork or job searches, becoming fully immersed in a task becomes nearly impossible. Students can therefore lack the depth to complete schoolwork thoroughly due to the day-to-day demands that classes require. 

“I actually feel like when I have a lot of work, I kind of lose sight of prioritizing sleep or prioritizing self time, and I just focus on getting everything done,” Beemer said. 

Beemer vocalizes a sentiment that is not unfamiliar to many. Busyness and overworking are increasingly equated with success and worth, a phenomenon driven by high-stress lifestyles. Dr. Meyer Friedman, a 1970s cardiologist, coined the term “hurry sickness,” which refers to the long-term effects of stress on the body and nervous system.

Although Dr. Friedman’s study was conducted before the iPhone, he came to a similar conclusion about the negative effects that overusing technology causes in our lives. The fear of missing out and anxiety about the future ultimately create a false sense of purpose, encouraging individuals to take on more than they can manage, and drastically reducing small moments of rest.

“There’s so much less of that feeling of security that maybe our parents felt with already being at a good school,” Beemer said. “The job stuff, the job market, is insanely competitive.”

For some upperclassmen, the race to find a respectable job post-grad comes with a mix of feelings.

“I’m excited about all of the potential paths I could take, but also anxious about the sheer amount of options and how hard getting a job seems right now,” Smith wrote.

While practicing moments of rest is important for completing assignments with better focus, taking days of rest is not necessarily viewed positively by college students. 

“I feel like our generation prioritizes self-care or talks about self-care a lot more,” Beemer said. “It’s easy to be like, ‘Oh, I need a break today, I need a Sunday reset.’ It can be positive initially, but again, if you’re using it too much as an excuse, like not being social or not showing up for people, then it could be bad.”

Finding a balance between dedicating time to work and rest is a critical part of growing up and leaving home. However, being able to slow down, to find peace wherever one is in one’s education and career is essential to success down the line. Unhurriedness will revive the value of in-depth work and create an overall shift in society that will, hopefully, put an end to those ridiculous Sunday Scaries that have infected our lives. 

“I do think that recently I’ve been better about knowing that the work will get done and a huge part of the college experience (and just life) is having fun and spending time with people you care about,” Smith wrote. “At the end of the day, I know if I turn in an assignment that isn’t my best work or my grades suffer a little bit because I was prioritizing having fun or spending time in nature or putting energy into my relationships with people, then I believe that it was worth it.”

Chloe Rappaport Crowther can be reached at crappaportcr@wesleyan.edu.