Sunday night blues. We all get it. That sinking feeling that the weekend is over and the week is going to begin all over again. How can we avoid this dread of Monday morning and feel more at ease about the inevitable return to work?
Planning.
One key move to loosening the Sunday night blues is actually getting organised before the weekend begins. If at the end of the week you put a side a short amount of time to work out what you need to do the following week and get your work in order, not only will you relax more over the weekend but come Sunday evening you will know that everything is ready for the week. It is much easier to enjoy the evening and switch off completely from the coming week if you are on the front foot and there is nothing hanging over your head. That way you can wake up feeling confident about the week ahead. The last thing you want to feel is pressure and overwhelm on Sunday evening. So this week when you get to Friday, see if you can plan the following week and tie up any loose ends and you will see a big difference.
Enjoyment
Another tip for avoiding the end of weekend blues is to organise something really enjoyable on Sunday evening. You probably don’t want a big night out but it’s a good time of the week to practice some self care and really treat yourself to something you love doing. For example having a good film to look forward to and some lovely food will be a nice distraction from the coming week. Or meeting up with a friend for drink and catching up is another great way to ease the Sunday blues. After all we are all in this together and talking to friends often makes our problems feel much easier to deal with. It doesn’t need to be an evening of gloom so make sure you give your self permission to have fun and forget the rest of the world for a while.
Addressing Problems
Sometimes the Sunday night blues are particularly intense because we have unresolved problems in our lives that we have been distracted from over the weekend and which come flooding back into our awareness on Sunday evening. If this is the case, take this as a message from your emotional self that something needs your attention. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed when this happens but actually it is good to remember that all problems and challenges have a solution. Anxiety and panic tare inevitable at times but becoming aware that an anxious reaction isn’t going to protect you in the long run and sitting down and looking at a problem with a friend or counsellor is a positive first step towards moving through it. If you are dreading Monday morning because of an issue at work it is important find the right person to talk to you about what is bothering you and get some support. If you are being bullied or harassed or excluded in some way this is going to undermine your confidence and well being and you shouldn’t have to experience any of these things in your workplace.
Gratitude
According to research, practicing gratitude has a very powerful effect on stress and anxiety. Worrying about the future is often futile and takes you away from the present moment, but spending some time running over your weekend and appreciating the gifts you have in your life, even the small things things such as the beauty of Spring blooming or an act of kindness from a stranger, can ease the nervous system and move your focus into seeing the abundance in your life even if you have to get up for work the next day. You also sleep better when you focus on the things that you are grateful for in your life and a good nights sleep can give you the energy you need to start the week running.