That Mondays make almost all of us lazy is a more than evident fact. After a weekend of rest (or party), getting back to the routine is a mental effort that not all of us are capable of managing equally. There are many people who suffer from genuine anxiety. We are not talking about laziness or just lack of motivation to face the start of the week and resume our work responsibilities, but about that term that experts have already called Sunday Night Anxiety, or what is the same ‘anxiety on Sunday night night’.
You may be one of the people who suffers from it or perhaps you know someone who is genuinely terrified of the moment to put the final touch on the weekend. Sometimes it manifests itself only at the time of having dinner, going to bed and setting the alarm clock for the next day. Others, on the other hand, already manifests itself even from Sunday at noon, when we begin to be aware that the next day it is time to return to work. If you are neither one of those who suffer from it nor do you know anyone who does, you should know that you are lucky, because there are many people who manifest their symptoms.
Factors that cause it
Among the causes that can cause this anxiety we find several reasons. It may appear out of fear of facing a complicated week full of obligations or important meetings. It may also be due to stress and having to deal with everything that was pending to do from the previous week or, even, because of not feeling capable of balancing family and social life with work. All these situations are triggers for this, already popular, term. But there is good news: it can disappear with some techniques and, in the most distressing cases, with the help of psychologists.
How to reduce it?
Before turning to professionals, you can follow some steps that help reduce, and sometimes disappear, your symptoms. If pending tasks overwhelm you: write. Write down everything you need to do. Although it may seem incongruous, putting all your thoughts on a piece of paper helps, since this act acts as a vent. You can also order these tasks and organize them by schedule or, resort to one of the techniques that has been booming lately, the already viral ‘eat a frog’, a trick that circulates on Tiktok that is committed to placing the most arduous tasks among the first in the morning.
Playing sports or cooking all week’s food is likely to help you feel fulfilled on Sunday. Getting ahead of pending tasks, such as cooking, you will already be reducing the number of lines that occupy your to do list. And by practicing sport, you will release endorphins (known as the happiness hormone).
Turn off your work mobile devices
Beyond the meditation and relaxation techniques that you have probably already tried, the most essential step is to completely disconnect your mobile devices from your work during the weekend. This is the only way you can enjoy your free time, gain energy and return to the routine with more enthusiasm.
If none of this works or if you believe that the causes that cause you this discomfort are due to more serious factors (such as workplace bullying or the desire to change jobs), do not hesitate to put yourself in the hands of an expert. It is never too early to do so and it will always be easier to solve any problem by treating it early.
Create your own office
If you work from home, another of the solutions that you can put to reduce your anxiety is to create a work space that is independent of your family life. Try to move your office away from your bedroom and, even if you can, also from the living room. Start taking it as if it were the table of your company, where there is no space to attend to household chores, nor to take a nap.
