There is a chance that each of us has suffered from the Sunday syndrome at least once in our lives. What does it mean? It is a feeling that usually attacks us at the end of the weekend. We are filled with stress and sadness that we will return to work and daily duties the next day. How to avoid it and how to prevent our weekend from ending in such a gloomy way? We advise!
- Sunday syndrome is defined as the feelings that accompany us at the end of the weekend. Usually it is sadness and stress caused by the very thought of having to go back to work and our daily duties
- Perhaps such an emotional state is influenced by a disturbing situation in our company or at home. Sunday syndrome also occurs in those people who cannot rest at the weekend and manage their time badly
- To avoid such situations, we should not leave too many responsibilities for Sunday evening. Let us use the time and activities we plan wisely during the weekend
- You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page
What is the Sunday syndrome?
As we mentioned at the beginning, the Sunday syndrome is the name of the mood that hits us at the end of the weekend. It describes the reluctance we feel when thinking about Monday. We are saddened by the vision of returning to work or school and our daily duties. Some people think that it is a kind of “mourning” after the weekend and a general feeling of homesickness, even though we are still there. There are also people who describe this mood as the “Sunday fear syndrome”.
What is the root of this problem? Dr hab. Michał Lew-Starowicz, a psychiatrist, sexologist and psychotherapist, explains the mechanisms that cause it.
«Stress related to returning to work after the weekend is a warning signal, either that there is a bad atmosphere at work, lack of proper organization or no longer satisfying, or the person lacks effective rest before the next week starts. The feeling of tension may also arise when weekends are spent on other work or the atmosphere at home and relationships with relatives do not allow you to regenerate mentally »explains a professor associated with the Medical Center of Postgraduate Education in Warsaw, which is responsible for postgraduate education for medics in Poland.
The expert also draws attention to another, very important issue.
Saturday and Sunday should not be the days when we earnestly >> make up for << the lack of sleep and pleasant activities throughout the week. Work-life balance should be realized, albeit in different proportions and, if possible, throughout the week. During a busy week, it is worth symbolically setting the line when we finish work and do something pleasant
– we read in the entry on the university’s Instagram profile.
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How to fight the Sunday syndrome?
Unfortunately, there are really few ways to fight the Sunday syndrome. Most of us work five days a week and only have two days to rest. It is definitely too short time to regenerate and feel completely relaxed. However, there are simple ways to help yourself and plan your weekend better.
- Try to close all important cases and projects before leaving work on Friday. Thanks to this, you will go home without feeling that there are a lot of unpleasant formalities waiting for you on Monday.
- If you have children, encourage them not to leave their homework and other school duties for Sunday night. Make them try to tick off individual points throughout the weekend. For example, on Saturday morning they can watch cartoons and then do a Polish language task or pack crayons and a plastic block in their backpack. This way, you won’t spend your Sunday evening frantically searching for the essentials and blaming each other.
- Routine is very important. However, if it involves getting ready for work on a Sunday night, it can be depressing and demotivating. Therefore, think about whether it is better to pack your bag for work on Friday evening? All you need to do on Monday morning is to pack your takeaway lunch and phone.
- Plan a “sorrow-breaking” activity every Sunday. Let it be going to the cinema with friends, meeting the family, an evening walk. Take a break and take care of your mental health.
- Change your attitude. Do you hate mondays because you don’t like your boss? Then try to fix your relationship with him. You don’t like commuting? Park a little further away from the company and take a short walk, which will give you distance to the world and move your body a bit at the same time.
- Take care of a healthy sleep. Go to bed at the right time. Before that, do a yoga session or take a relaxing bath. In the morning, do not get up at the last minute, do not ignore the alarm clock. Give yourself a chance to gently enter the new week.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time, Olga Komorowska, sound therapist, voice trainer and singer, will talk about what sound therapy is all about. What are the benefits of “faking”, what is vibrotherapy and how is sound wave transmitted? You will find out by listening to the latest episode of our podcast.