On Sunday mornings, I typically wake up feeling at ease with the world. I know that I don't have to worry about making it to class, work or meetings, and that I have the entire day ahead of me to finish completing the items on my to-do list that I avoided all weekend.
It is one of the only days that it is acceptable to sleep until noon, lay around in your pajamas, watch Netflix all day, be productive or even do something adventurous— it is called "Sunday Fun Day" after all.
But then 4 p.m. rolls around. The weekend quickly comes to a close, and all of a sudden my brain is swarmed with never-ending thoughts about all of the things I failed to accomplish the previous week and all of the things that I need to accomplish now.
These overwhelming thoughts are the trigger of Sunday Night Anxiety/Blues— and yes, it is a real thing, especially in the United States. A global survey conducted by monster.com reveals that 76 percent of U.S. participants report experiencing severe Sunday Night Blues, while only 45 percent of the rest of the world reports experiencing these same feelings.
The work/school week can be exhausting, and we often build the weekend up to be the prize at the end of the finish line. On Friday mornings, when the finish line is in sight, we cannot wait to finally cross it and receive our prize— the weekend. But when Sunday evening creeps up on us, we realize that we have to prepare for yet another race. We naturally immerse ourselves into a state of denial and feelings of anxiety arise because we feel as if we just crossed the finish line, and we are not ready to prepare for another race.
Sunday is arguably both the best and worst day of the week. Although these feelings are nearly inevitable, here are a few tips to help alleviate the groan:
1. Do not wait until Sunday night to complete your to-do list.
Delegate certain items on your list to specific days and times so the pressure doesn't weigh so heavy on Sunday nights.
2. Make time to do something you enjoy on Sunday night.
Do something fun on Sundays (specifically around the time Sunday Night Anxiety arises) whether that be catching dinner with a friend, going to the gym, or taking a bubble bath, in order to help avoid the feeling.
3. Make a fun plan for the week ahead.
Whether this is watching the Bachelor with your girlfriends on Monday night, or going to Wine Wednesday, make a plan to make your week less dreadful. Doing this will add some fun to your week and help make the weekend seem not so far away.
4. Prepare yourself for the week ahead.
In my opinion, this is the best thing you can do. By organizing your planner, responding to emails, cleaning your house, making a to-do list, or maybe even starting some of the upcoming week's work, you can avoid being blindsided by a million tasks on Monday morning.
