[ so·lil·o·quy – the act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers ]
I often refer to the Sunday night blues. I get them a lot. Once a week, in fact.
It is the feeling I get inside on a Sunday night, having had a lovely weekend, that reminds me that the weekend has to end and the working week has to begin. They occur around 7-8pm on a Sunday evening, at the point when I’m thinking about sorting my bag out and making some supper. I realise that the “free time” I’ve had for two days is done and the stresses of work start filling up my mind again. I might remember I have a deadline to meet, realise there are 101 things to be done at work and home, worry that I’ve forgotten to do something, or simply hate the fact that my alarm has to be set once again. It’s a school night; and it’s a whole five working days until the next weekend.
However much we love our jobs the Sunday night blues still appear – and the better our weekend, the worse that feeling. It is the emotion that we feel when the weekend – that we have been anticipating all week and building up to be something amazing – is coming to a close. It’s over. They’re even worse when we’ve had a whole week off; we get two weekends worth of Sunday night blues in one go… I’ve no idea how I would cope with going back if I had the school summer holidays off!
The Sunday night blues are a pretty normal phenomenon. And there is nothing to be too concerned about if that is all it is. But if it is your body indicating that you are unhappy in your everyday life (whatever it is you do between the weekends!) then it is time to act by making some changes; start by speaking to someone close.
There are lots of things we can do to combat those pesky ordinary Sunday night blues – soak in the bath, give yourself an at-home facial, colour your hair, play a family board game, read a book, bake a cake, sit in front of the telly with a selection of cheese and crackers. Some people suggest using your Sunday night to actually do something out of the house can help – go to the cinema, have a meal out, go for a run or a bike ride. Yes, all of those things help, certainly, but they don’t prevent the impending Monday morning from coming. So we have to be prepared; and for me, my coping mechanism is lists!
Yes, yes I know, I’m always making lists – but they really do help. First, make a list that includes everything you need to do on Sunday night to get ready for work the next day. Then work to it at a reasonable hour so you have time to relax after you’ve got yourself ready and before bed. Get everything ready so in the morning your routine includes as little as possible. If you are very organised you can do some of these things when you get in from work on a Friday evening, giving you even less to worry about on Sunday.
Your next list should include things that you need to achieve that week at work and at home. You almost certainly won’t know everything yet, but if you have a list of what you do know then you have a head start. At least make some decisions on what you are going to tackle on Monday morning, so you have a plan and can hit the ground running. I find I sleep much better, even on a Sunday night, if I know what to expect the next day; so having a plan is immensely helpful.
Making lists doesn’t get rid of the Sunday night blues. And they certainly won’t help if your own blues are something more serious than simply wishing it wasn’t the end of the weekend. But I can recommend them as a way of organising your way through them. Feel free to add your coping strategies below.
Life is all about the journey. Plan your way out of the Sunday night blues.
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