The Sunday Scaries: Why Teachers Dread Mondays — and How to Reclaim Your Weekend
It’s Sunday afternoon. Your stomach tightens. Your mind starts spiraling through Monday’s to-do list. That creeping dread? It’s not just you. The Sunday Scaries are real—and for teachers, they often run deeper than just missing the weekend.
Why the Sunday Scaries Hit Teachers Harder
Teaching is one of the few professions where your Monday doesn’t just restart a workweek—it resets an entire emotional ecosystem. You’re responsible not only for lesson plans and logistics, but also for managing a room full of young people’s needs, behaviors, and emotions. The pressure builds before the school bell even rings.
You may feel guilt for not doing more over the weekend. Anxiety over what's waiting on your desk. Or exhaustion from a week you haven’t even started yet. This anticipatory stress can become a weekly cycle of burnout.
What You Can Do to Reclaim Your Sunday
You deserve rest—and you don’t need to earn it by being productive. Here are strategies to ease the Sunday dread and reclaim your weekend:
Set boundaries with school work. Designate a hard stop time for lesson planning or emails. Protect it like you would an important appointment.
Give yourself permission to let go. There will always be more work to be done and you can always find more to do, but that doesn’t mean it all needs to be done right now or that what you have already completed isn’t enough. It is okay to let go of the idea of a perfect lesson plan, visual aid, etc. and just do your best with what you have.
Prep gently, not obsessively. Choose one or two small tasks (like laying out your clothes or organizing your lunch) to feel prepared without overworking.
Talk about it. Connect with fellow educators. You’ll be surprised how many feel the same way—and how validating it can be to share it.
A Better Week Starts with a Better Sunday
The Sunday Scaries don’t mean you’re bad at your job—they mean you care deeply and carry a lot. Reclaiming your weekend isn’t selfish. It’s essential.
At Teacher Talk, we support educators who want to break the cycle of burnout and find sustainable ways to care for themselves. If Sundays are stealing your peace, we’re here to help you take it back.
Want more support? Explore our therapy services for teachers.
