Dilemma
Sunday afternoon, it’s already starting to get dark outside. Only a few more hours and you have to go to bed again. Looking forward to Monday. That early alarm again. That office again. Those colleagues again. Your stomach clenches a little. If only it could always remain Sunday.
Do you recognize this displaced feeling? Then you may be suffering from Sunday scares. Next to Monday blues, end-of-weekend dread, terrible Tuesday, Thursday fog and the Friday burnout it may seem like yet another made-up term, but it is actually something that many people recognize. And what sometimes bothers them. Is it just part of working life? Or is it a signal that you should take seriously?
Calm before the storm
According to research, 73 percent of working people suffer from the Sunday scaries: the anxious feeling you feel on Sunday evening before Monday begins. Gen Zers and millennials in particular are struggling with this.
It is not surprising that so many people suffer from Sunday anxiety, says Karlijn Massar, associate professor of applied psychology at Maastricht University. We’re all just way too busy. “A job, a family, a social life. Saturday the shopping, the children go to a sport and then it’s Sunday again. The weekend is much too short to relax.”
Nowadays we process more information in one day than people used to process in their entire lives, says Massar. The Sunday scaries are a logical consequence of this, and therefore do not have to be an indication that your job is not good for you — let alone that you have to quit it. “The Sunday scaries are mainly related to an overly busy schedule in general and a disruption of the work-life balance.”
Anticipatory anxiety
For many people it remains a mild discomfort, but the Sunday scaries can also become problematic. For example, if you suffer from it every week. Or if you are already working on Friday on the Monday that is yet to come. Then you no longer speak of a normal reluctance for Monday, but of fear and stress, says anxiety psychologist Fien Galama. “The Sunday scaries can be part of anticipatory anxiety: the fear of what is yet to come.”
The agenda may include an important meeting or conversation with your boss. How will that go? We can worry terribly about that, precisely because we don’t have the answer.
In order to maintain the idea of control, we worry ourselves to death, says Galama. But that is false control. “The only thing you achieve with it is that the stress and anxiety about the week control you, and not the other way around.”
Instead of worrying about what could go wrong on Monday, it helps to regulate stress. A simple way is the brain dump. “Write down everything that is in your head for five minutes. Without judgment, without trying to come up with a solution.” This way you literally make space in your head. Or seek relaxation.
Live in the now
According to productivity psychologist Renske Zuurveen, taking back control of your working week starts with a good start on Monday. And above all, a start that you can decide for yourself. “Managers would do well not to schedule meetings on Monday morning. This way, employees can start quietly, in their own way, with sports, for example.”
A good end to the working week is also crucial to be able to relax during the weekend, says Zuurveen. We tend to think about unfinished tasks longer than completed ones, the so-called Zeigarnik effect. “Our brain doesn’t like it open loops. Therefore, round off the working week consciously.” It helps to link a physical action to this. Like literally writing down in a notebook: the working week is done. “Or put your coffee cup in the dishwasher every Friday after work.”
It is good to separate your work from your weekend, but the transition should not be too abrupt, says social psychologist Karlijn Massar. “If you save relaxation for the weekend, you are actually already too late.” And if you live a completely different life during the week than at the weekend, Monday will feel extra hard.” The most important tip to suffer less from the Sunday scaries? “Live in the moment,” says Massar. “Enjoy Saturday and Sunday and deal on Monday with Monday.” That is difficult for many people. Doesn’t it work? Then don’t worry, but use that forethought in a practical and productive way, Massar advises. “Do your shopping, prepare your meals or call that friend you still needed to speak to.” This way you make the transition from weekend to working week a little smoother, without having to worry too much about your work.
So
The Sunday scaries may just be part of it. Provided the complaints do not get out of hand. It could be a remnant of a week full of stimuli, or a sign that you have not rested enough. Maybe the lesson is that it’s not about Monday or work, but about everything you try to squeeze in. Rest belongs not only at the weekend, but throughout the week. Another thing to make time for? Yes, unfortunately. Even relaxation does not come naturally.
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