Sunday blues - the moment when Sunday stops feeling like a Sunday and the anxiety of a Monday kicks in! Your relaxing weekend comes to a sudden halt with the realisation that the working week is only a few hours away and your free time is getting less and less by the second! After 2 delightful days the thought of going back into work tomorrow is enough to make you want to curl under your bed and cry!
For me it usually kicks in around 5pm, when most of the day is over. My brain switches into overdrive over the possibilities of the working week ahead....Your going to be working late! Your going to get work that you can’t deliver on! Your going to be all round shitty at your job! The world is going to crash and burn...You see how quickly you mind spirals and catastrophises situations! The reality is next week is no different from the week before: same tube to work, same lovely people, same routine! So why do we get hit with the Sunday blues so hard?
Your brain is just getting sad that your free time is nearly over and the regimented working week is upon you. No it doesn’t mean you hate your job! It is simply our wee brains getting down in the dumps because it means we don’t have the following day to watch Netflix and procrastinate on all the housework we have been putting off for weeks.
Sunday blues aren’t just linked to Sunday’s though, this is just commonly when they are felt as the typical working week usually begins on a Monday. Yet you can get the same feeling after a holiday from work. Holiday blues are the worst!! You have just had a beautiful week sunbathing by a pool and tomorrow you are back to meetings and the reality of being a human sardine on the London Underground rush hour commute - yuk!
For me my blues come from the anticipation of the unknown of the week ahead! Not knowing what I’m working on or what time I may finish makes me quite anxious, however in the nature of my job certain elements are kind of out of my control. Yet there are things I can do to reduce my Sunday blues and on a whole drop my stress levels on the weekend to be able to start a Monday on the right foot!
Some of my top tips for Sunday blues:
1. Do all my ‘chores’ early Sunday so I can relax in the evening. For me there is nothing worse than a panicked Sunday night running around doing the ironing or running errands. It is my last chance to relax before Monday morning so I am going to make the most of it!
2. I get my bag ready for the Monday - this will help me feel organised for the working day ahead. I won’t end up in a state in the morning when I can’t find my purse or my headphones if I get everything sorted before I get to bed!
3. For me a cheeky glass of wine on a Sunday is very relaxing. It reminds me that just because I have work tomorrow doesn’t mean I can’t relax and enjoy the rest of my night. Note: don’t get smashed! It’s a Sunday not a party night, a glass is fine but let’s not lose are heads now!
4. Use your weekend wisely! Weekends are an important time to catch up with friends, relax and take your time. Remember to get a balance! I love seeing my friends but I also get very tired after a busy weekend which makes me more stressed! I make sure I plan my weekends so I have a good balance of outings and events but also that time to curl up on the sofa, eat some chocolate and watch a Disney film! Granted some weekends are busier than others but if your like me make sure you take the time for you too even if it’s half an hour!Â
5. Get to bed early on the Sunday night. Everyone is different but I am 100% more likely to feel stress if I am tired! With the week ahead looming I am very aware that if I stay up late, I am going to feel the mother of all panic on Monday morning. So even though it may be cutting my night short it is the sacrifice I make for a more stress free Monday.
6. Now this one is key - Strictly DO NOT check work emails over the weekend! Granted depending what job your in you may have to check your emails over the weekend. I however do not need to! Yet I have had cases before where I have checked my emails late on a Friday night, saw an email for the week ahead and spent all weekend worrying about it. It’s super important to have work life balance and understand that your time is your time! And the weekend is my time! I’m doing nothing but adding more stress to myself by checking my emails - I can’t do any work at home so why give myself the added stress over something that I won’t be able to address until Monday anyways!
7. Remind yourself that even if you have a mental week ahead and even if your on that project that makes you nervous that everyone is human. You can ask for help and guidance, and it’s okay to say you don’t understand, but MOST importantly remember it’s only 5 days until the weekend!!
Until next week...
Kirsty x