Sunday Night Blues? What To Do When You Dread Work

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We all know that good things must come to an end. Yet despite this knowledge, and even the fact that it happens regularly once a week, the vast majority of us can’t help but feel a little deflated on Sundays. It’s so common that this phenomenon even has a name – the Sunday Night Blues. It happens when we realize that our 48 hours of freedom are drawing to a close and those anxious feelings and sense of dread begin to surface at the thought of returning to work on Monday morning.

 

 

Sunday Night Blues

The Sunday night blues usually start mid-afternoon. Symptoms can range from a slight sense of unease or anxiety, where stomachs churn and tempers fray, too much more acute episodes such as panic attacks.  Insomnia and depression are also key symptoms.

Most people would imagine that this is a modern problem. However, psychologists were studying this issue as early as the 1940s. Thought to originate from around the time the five-day working week was adopted, it continues to be a reality in the majority of working homes.

In fact, a range of scientific surveys show that this is a very common problem.  Recent studies have shown that between 60% – 75% of people suffer from this condition. European researchers have even shown that statistically, Sunday is the least happy day of the week.

 

 

Why do we get the Sunday Night Blues?

The causes of Sunday night blues are wide-ranging but can include working in a stressful job and working with a difficult boss or colleagues.  It can even link back to our adolescence, where we delayed our homework to last thing on a Sunday night, and the associated feelings of anxiety that followed.

In short, people often report feeling a little panic-stricken on a Sunday because we:

 

• don’t get everything done that we’d planned to
• leave things to the last minute and then we feel stressed
• worry that we have scuppered the week ahead by not being as organized as we would like to be
• are afraid that we’ve forgotten to do something and we’re worried about getting into trouble.

 

 

Related: What To Do When You Hate Your Job

 

 

How to Manage your Sunday Night Blues

Thankfully, if you are one of the majority afflicted by the Sunday night blues there are things that you can do to ease your anxiety.

 

 

1. Make the Most of Friday: Start the weekend on the front foot

Everyone knows that Friday is the best day of the week at work because, well hey, “it’s the weekend!” However!  Make sure that you make the most of this opportunity to maximize your weekend enjoyment by trying to do the following before you dash out of the office to get the best place at the bar:

 

• Be sure to tidy your desk and leave it ready for Monday morning.
• Make sure that your papers are organized and orderly so that you know exactly what you’re doing first thing on Monday.
• Have a rule that you don’t book meetings first thing on Monday morning.  Buy yourself some readjustment time.
• Clear out your emails so that you can start the new week afresh.  Answer all that you can. If any of them require action the following week, make sure that you mark them as ‘unread’ so that they don’t get lost.
• Write your goals and to-do list for the forthcoming week.  Reflect on anything that you didn’t achieve and work out a plan for how you can get it done next week.  Plan in time for this.
• If you work in an industry where weekend working is expected, then be clear about your plans and set limits to this.  Plan your weekend so that colleagues are aware of when you’ll be working.  Be clear that you do not work on Sunday evenings and communicate this to them.
• Make sure that you have something that you enjoy planned for the weekend.

Yes, of course these tasks are irritating and trivial, but it’s much easier to do them on a Friday afternoon. Getting those out of the way will help prevent some panic when you’re contemplating your Monday morning to-do list.

 

 

2. Eat the Frog on Saturday Morning

Don’t be tempted to wait until Sunday to do all the tedious and boring jobs.  Wake up early on Saturday and get them done.  When you’re in the right frame of mind it’s amazing how much you can get done: do the laundry, sort out the family admin, plan the meals, and the diary for the week ahead. Get all of this completed at the start of the weekend so it doesn’t spoil your mood.  Instead, you will start the weekend with an empowering sense of being organized and in control.

 

 

3. Make plans

Make sure that you plan something fun and enjoyable during the weekend that you look forward to, and factor in appropriate time for you and family time.

If your Sunday night blues are particularly powerful you could choose to plan an activity to distract you from this anxiety.  For example, you could go to the movies, invite friends round for dinner, do something fun with kids.

Regardless, weekends are about leisure time.  Make sure that you plan accordingly and don’t simply let your time be gobbled up by chores and worry.

 

 

4. Make Sunday a Funday

Establish a rule that says no work and no chores on Sundays, only things that bring you joy and pleasure.  Make sure that you stick to this.

 

 

5. Take care of your health

 

• Make sure you factor in some exercise – the benefits it brings are well documented.  In particular, it can positively impact on depression and anxiety.
• Be conscious of how much alcohol you consume and how it might affect you the day after.  There is nothing worse than hangover anxiety on top of Sunday night blues.
• Limit your access to work emails, social media, and screen time. Instead, choose to engage with living breathing human beings.
• Be conscious of your sleep and make sure that you get the required amount.  Some people suggest that waking up at the same time each day is important for our general wellbeing. Consider skipping “sleeping in.”

 

 

6. Plan things to look forward to

Take the time on Friday and Saturday to plan a few mid-week things that will give you some joy:

 

• Wear clothes that make you feel good on Monday morning.  Get them ready in advance.
• Organize your lunches and include your favorite foods. Better still, include others in this. Could you share this chore and each brings lunch for everyone on different days?
• Plan a fun mid-week activity with a loved one such as dinner at a restaurant or an evening class.

 

 

7. Ask for help

One of the most empowering strategies for managing your Sunday night blues is to take control of the situation.  Admit that you have a problem and seek help.

Some suggest keeping a journal to reflect on things that trigger your anxiety. Keep a log of your feelings and activities for a few weeks and see if there is a pattern.  What can you change? Do you need more specialist help?

Spend some time learning about relaxing practices such as mindfulness and yoga and monitor their impact. Use these activities as an opportunity to ‘stay in the now’ and stop worrying about the future.

Sometimes what is needed is a change of mindset rather than a change of situation.  There are lots of ways that this can be achieved, although working with a professional coach or counselor is a great place to start.  Don’t be afraid to admit that you need help.  It is not a sign of weakness.

On a final note, psychologists are keen to point out the source of some of Sunday night blues could be the remnants of our childhood. We’ve already mentioned leaving homework to the last minute, but childhood trauma can also leave a deep and lasting impact.  For example, if you were bullied at school then it is likely that you would have been fearful on Sundays.  These experiences can shape our lives and impact on us for years to come.  Thankfully, specialist help can address such issues.

 

 

8.  Consider a job change

Whilst this might seem like a particularly radical solution this is not out of the question.  Are your Sunday night blues a sign that it’s time to look for a new job?

Does your work align with your values?

It’s important to say that this must be done with foresight and planning.  Don’t be tempted to just jump ship! This is because it’s important to make decisions based on a sound understanding of your values and what it is that you actually want.  Don’t be tempted to just leave the job that you hate. If you do this you actually don’t address the issues and they will resurface at some point in the future.  Instead, make a conscious decision to move into something that ignites your passion and aligns with your values.

Of course, changing your job is scary and can feel insurmountable.  However life is too short to be unhappy, and it’s a terrible thing to wake up with regret when you are in the twilight years of your life.

When you reframe your thinking there is actually lots that you can do: retrain, start a business, study and work on improving your prospects,

Some people think that there comes a point in our lives where we have left it too late.  This is nonsense!  It’s never too late to make a change for good.