Why Do I Dread Monday? The Sunday Scaries, Burnout, and Building a More Sustainable Life
It's Sunday evening. You still have hours left in your weekend. But your stomach is already tight.
You're thinking about tomorrow. The emails waiting. The meetings. The people who need things from you. The weight of another week.
Maybe you try to enjoy what's left of your time off. But it's hard to be present. Part of you is already at work, bracing for what's coming.
By the time you go to bed Sunday night, you're not rested. You're resigned.
If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. This feeling has a name: the "Sunday Scaries." And it's incredibly common among high-achieving professionals in the Kansas City area—lawyers, physicians, business owners, managers, teachers—anyone who carries a lot during the week.
But here's what most people don't realize: the Sunday Scaries aren't always about your job. Sometimes they're a sign that something about the way you're living isn't sustainable.
In this post, we'll talk about what's really behind the Monday dread, why it might follow you even if you changed jobs, and how to start building a life that doesn't leave you dreading the end of every weekend.
What are the Sunday Scaries?
The Sunday Scaries are feelings of anxiety, dread, or unease that show up on Sunday—usually in the afternoon or evening—as the weekend ends and the workweek approaches. It's anticipatory anxiety: your brain is already worrying about tomorrow before today is even over. For many people, it steals the last hours of their time off.
You might notice it as a knot in your stomach. A sense of heaviness. Trouble relaxing or being present. Racing thoughts about what's waiting for you. Difficulty falling asleep Sunday night.
Some people describe it as a slow creep of dread that starts around lunchtime Sunday. Others feel fine until evening, then suddenly feel overwhelmed. Some wake up Monday morning already exhausted—because they spent Sunday night mentally preparing for the week instead of actually resting.
If you've experienced the Sunday Scaries, you know it's not just "not wanting to go back to work." It's a physical and emotional response. Your body is reacting to something—even if your mind hasn't fully named what it is.
Why do I dread going to work on Monday?
Monday dread often comes from anticipatory anxiety—your brain getting ahead of itself, worrying about what's coming. But it can also be a signal that something is out of balance. If you're giving 110% during the week and collapsing on weekends, you never actually recover. By Sunday, your body knows another depleting cycle is about to start.
Here's what we often see with clients in our Lee's Summit office:
During the week, they're running at full capacity. Back-to-back meetings. Long hours. Giving everything to their job, their clients, their patients, their team. They push through exhaustion because there's always more to do.
Then the weekend comes. And instead of rest, they collapse.
They're so depleted that Saturday is spent recovering. Sunday, they're just starting to feel human again—and then the dread kicks in because Monday is almost here.
The weekend never gets to be restorative. It's just survival. A brief pause before the next marathon.
No wonder Monday feels heavy. Your nervous system knows what's coming. Another week of pushing past your limits. Another cycle of depletion without real recovery.
Is it my job—or is it me?
Sometimes the Sunday Scaries are about a genuinely bad work situation. But often, they're about patterns—patterns of overworking, perfectionism, and all-or-nothing thinking that would follow you to any job. If you tend to give everything until you're empty, a new job might feel better at first. But the same cycle usually returns.
This is one of the most important questions to ask yourself.
Yes, some jobs are genuinely toxic. Some workplaces have unreasonable demands, poor leadership, or unhealthy cultures. If that's your situation, it makes sense that you'd dread going back.
But for many high achievers, the problem isn't just the job. It's how they relate to work.
Do you have a hard time setting boundaries? Do you say yes when you should say no? Do you feel like you have to prove yourself constantly? Do you tie your worth to your productivity? Do you struggle to rest without feeling guilty?
If so, those patterns will likely follow you—even to a dream job.
That's not a criticism. Those patterns usually developed for good reasons. They may have helped you succeed. But they're also part of why the cycle feels so exhausting. And they're something you can actually work on—without having to quit your job.
Is the Sunday Scaries a sign of burnout?
It can be. When you're burned out, your capacity is depleted. Things that used to feel manageable now feel overwhelming. The Sunday Scaries may be your body's way of saying, "I can't keep doing this." It's worth paying attention to—especially if weekends no longer restore you and you're running on empty most of the time.
Burnout isn't just "being tired." It's a state of chronic depletion where your physical, emotional, and mental resources are used up faster than they can be replenished.
When you're burned out, you might notice:
You're exhausted even after sleeping.
Things you used to care about feel flat or meaningless.
Small tasks feel impossibly hard.
You're more irritable, cynical, or checked out than usual.
Your body is showing signs of stress—headaches, tension, stomach issues, getting sick more often.
The Sunday Scaries can be an early warning sign. Your system is telling you that the current pace isn't working. If you ignore it, things usually get worse.
If you've read our post on the hidden nature of high functioning anxiety, you know that high achievers are especially prone to this. You've built a life that looks successful—but your nervous system is paying the price.
Why doesn't the weekend feel like enough?
Two days isn't enough to recover from five days of depletion. If you're running on empty by Friday, the weekend can only do so much. You might spend Saturday recovering and Sunday dreading—leaving no time to actually enjoy your life. The issue isn't the length of the weekend. It's the unsustainability of the week.
Think about it mathematically.
If you're depleting yourself for 50+ hours during the week, two days off isn't going to bring you back to baseline. You might get to 60-70% by Sunday. Then Monday hits, and you're already starting from a deficit.
Over time, that deficit accumulates. You're never fully rested. You're always operating below capacity. And your body knows it—which is why it starts dreading the next cycle before the current one is even over.
This is why vacation sometimes doesn't help as much as you'd hope. You might feel better by the end of a week off—but within days of returning, you're right back where you started. The issue isn't that you need more time off. It's that the daily and weekly pattern isn't sustainable.
We wrote about this in our post on why going back to work after the holidays feels so hard. The dread isn't just about missing vacation—it's about returning to a pace that depletes you.
How do I build a more sustainable life?
Sustainability starts with small shifts, not dramatic changes. It means building rest into your week—not just your weekend. It means noticing when you're overextending and learning to pull back before you're empty. And it often means examining the beliefs that keep you stuck in the cycle: "I have to give 110%" or "I can't say no."
Building a sustainable life doesn't mean quitting your job or abandoning your ambitions. It means learning to work with your limits instead of constantly pushing past them.
Some things that help:
Build micro-recovery into your week. Don't wait until the weekend to rest. Take real breaks during the day. Protect your lunch hour. Build in a buffer between meetings. Give yourself permission to leave work at work sometimes—even if the to-do list isn't done.
Notice your patterns. When do you overcommit? What makes it hard to say no? What beliefs are driving the constant push? Sometimes there's a part of you that believes slowing down means failing. That part needs attention, not criticism.
Protect something enjoyable—even during the week. If all your pleasure is crammed into Saturday, that's a lot of pressure on one day. Can you build in something small that you look forward to on a Tuesday or Wednesday? It doesn't have to be big. Just something that's yours.
Get curious about what you actually need. Rest looks different for different people. Some people need alone time. Some need connection. Some need movement. Some need stillness. If your weekends aren't restorative, it might be worth examining whether you're resting in ways that actually work for you.
When should I get help for the Sunday Scaries?
Consider reaching out if the Sunday Scaries happen every week, if you can't remember the last time you felt rested, if anxiety is spilling into other areas of your life, or if you've tried to change the pattern on your own and it keeps coming back. Therapy can help you understand what's driving the cycle—and build a life that actually works for you.
The Sunday Scaries are common. But that doesn't mean you have to live with them.
It might be time to talk to someone if:
You dread Monday every single week—not just occasionally.
You can't remember the last time you felt genuinely rested and ready to start your week.
Anxiety is affecting your sleep, your mood, or your relationships.
You've tried to make changes on your own, but the same patterns keep repeating.
You're starting to wonder if there's more going on—like burnout, anxiety, or depression.
In therapy, we can help you understand what's underneath the dread. Sometimes it's about the job. Sometimes it's about patterns of perfectionism, people-pleasing, or tying your worth to your output. Sometimes it's unprocessed stress that's built up over time. Whatever it is, you don't have to figure it out alone.
Anxiety Therapy in Lee's Summit, MO
If you're tired of dreading Monday before the weekend is over, we can help.
At Aspire Counseling, we work with high-achieving professionals who look successful on the outside but feel depleted on the inside. We understand the hidden nature of high functioning anxiety—how you can be great at your job and still be running on fumes. How the patterns that helped you succeed can also be the patterns that burn you out.
Our therapists use evidence-based approaches to help you understand what's driving the cycle—and build a life that's actually sustainable. Not just surviving until the weekend. Actually thriving.
We offer in-person therapy at our Lee's Summit office, conveniently located for clients from Blue Springs, Independence, Raytown, and the greater Kansas City area. We also offer secure online therapy throughout Missouri.
Call us at (816) 287-1116 or message us online to schedule a free consultation. You deserve to enjoy your weekends—all of them, not just the first few hours.
About the Author
Jessica Oliver, MSW, LCSW is the Founder and Clinical Director of Aspire Counseling, with 10+ years of experience supporting clients in Lee's Summit, Missouri. She specializes in anxiety, trauma, and high-pressure professional stress, and she loves helping capable people feel steady on the inside—not just successful on the outside. Jessica uses evidence-based approaches like EMDR and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for trauma, along with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based approaches, and DBT-informed skills to help clients reduce overthinking, loosen perfectionism, and build lives that feel more connected and sustainable. At Aspire Counseling, she provides compassionate, expert care in-person in Lee's Summit and through secure online therapy for clients across Missouri.
