Slang dossier
Sunday scaries
Pronounced SUN-day SCARE-eez
The anxious or gloomy feeling that can arrive before the next school or work week. It is a casual description of a feeling, not a diagnosis.
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In a sentence
How it sounds
Illustrative examples
- “I get the Sunday scaries when I look at the homework list.”
- “Packing my bag early helps with the Sunday scaries.”
Where teens use it
The habitat
School-week memes, evening chats and conversations about deadlines or routines.
Parent briefing
What parents should know
Ask what specifically makes Monday difficult. A practical plan may help, but repeated distress, bullying or sleep problems need more than a joke. Make space to talk without telling them everyone feels it so it does not matter.
Keep decoding
Related terms
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