What do you usually do on a Sunday? Sunday is usually reserved as a family day. It’s when you take the kids out for ice cream or go to a place of worship as a family. Or it could just be a day to lounge around or have a long and lazy brunch with friends. Most of the time, Sundays are reserved for resting. In the story of creation, even God had to rest on the Sabbath.
A typical Sunday goes like this: you sleep in for a bit and start your day slow. Maybe you enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee while preparing brunch. You take your time chopping up the ingredients and are in no hurry waiting for the whole thing to cook. You prepare the table and call everyone down for a hearty meal. You and your family take your time eating and sharing stories over brunch and conversations go well into the afternoon.
But right around 5 PM, your mood starts to shift. There is a nagging feeling at the back of your mind as one by one you start to remember everything you have NOT accomplished over the weekend. Then you start to panic…why is the weekend just two days long? Have I been lazy? Did I forget anything? Why haven’t I checked off everything in my to do list yet? Why is there not enough time to relax?
But you can’t relax. By this time, you have started on a downward spiral of what we call “Sunday Night Blues”. Yes, it is a thing. Yes, you are not alone.
A global poll done by Monster Worldwide in 2015, reveals that 62% of global respondents have “really bad” Sunday night blues. This is the general feeling of depression that you feel during Sunday nights.
Do you sometimes feel anxious over the fact that only one night’s sleep stands between you and the beginning of another workweek? That’s called the Sunday night blues. Basically, it’s that feeling of longing that you get when you come back from an awesome vacation, only, this is a mini version that happens every Sunday night.
You really can’t change your mindset overnight…and if this becomes a habit, you’d have to look for ways to break this Sunday night habit of yours. So how do you alleviate Sunday night blues? The best way is to start preparing by Friday! Take a few minutes at the end of every Friday to assess your to-do lists and make sure you pencil in time to enjoy yourself. Make plans to do something fun (girls night out, perhaps?). Alternate this with weekends of doing something productive (house cleaning anyone?) If you can identify your triggers and pinpoint exactly what makes you dread the work week, like a long commute or a heavy workload, then you can plan for those accordingly. Make an action plan to relieve your anxiety over those specific stressors.
If you think about it, so far you have survived 100% of all the Mondays you have dreaded. You’re doing great!
If you have tips on how to combat those Sunday night blues, let us know in the comments. Remember to stay humble and hustle hard!
Written by: Jaie O. – The Help
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