Do you feel a creeping sense of doom come Sunday afternoon? You’re not alone. According to a Monster.com international poll, 76 percent of U.S. respondents felt “really bad” Sunday Night Blues. And really, there’s a lot to be bummed about: the weekend is ending and the work week is approaching (and hump day is still a long way off). No matter your job, you might feel sad that your personal time is coming to an end again, but there are ways to fight those blahs.
(Photo Credit: Trish Hamme/Flickr)
Don’t Let Monday Creep into Sunday
Just because we could check work email on the weekends doesn’t mean we should. Keep your “weekend” a “weekend” (even if you have to explain it to the Dowager Countess). Draw the line and have some “me” time on Saturdays and Sundays, even if you have a big pile of work waiting for you.
Who Says Weekdays Can’t Be Fun?
Plan a treat for a few days into the week. It doesn’t have to be Hump Day to celebrate. Get a standing Tuesday night card game going with friends, make a plan to meet for drinks after work on alternating Thursdays, or schedule an early Wednesday morning run with a neighbor. You’ll find if you break up the week into digestible chunks, it’ll go down easier than the old shoe it seems to be.
Distraction, Distraction, Distraction
Monday morning is inevitable, but you don’t have to sit and dwell on it. Schedule something fun for Sunday night (for you and the family) like an outing, a special dinner, or a visit with friends. Getting away from the clock (and off the couch) can be helpful to distract you from your dread. Cook up a big meal and enjoy it! Then, plan out some lunches or dinners for the week. You’ll feel a good sense of accomplishment, and have some delicious things to eat, too.
Fix Your Monday Problem
If your job is really so toxic that you experience serious recurring feelings of dread before you go in on Monday morning, then it’s time for a new job! Figure out what the biggest issues are. Whether it’s an interminable commute, a job skill mismatch, or a toxic boss or work environment, you can find something better. Use your Sundays to search for jobs from the safety of your home computer (not the work one).
Don’t Burn Out on Weekend
A couple of late nights every weekend can mean it’s hard to get to bed on Sunday at a reasonable hour. Unless you’re working some bananas flex schedule, you can’t sleep in till noon every day of the week. So that Monday doesn’t feel quite so bad, try to ease off the full-throttle Friday and Saturday nights. Or at least, don’t make a bad habit of it (i.e, only binge watch Netflix one weekend a month, tops). Your body and mind will thank you if you hit Monday not feeling hungover.
You don’t have to love Mondays, but since they’re coming anyway, you might as well find a way to live with them.
Tell Us What You Think
Do you feel a sense of dread come Sunday night? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.
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