One minute you are loving the weekend and next thing you know you are overcome by a wave of existential dread as the Sunday-evening-blues rear their ugly head (at approximately 4.13pm if studies are to be believed).
Even if you enjoy your job, more than two thirds of us experience this phenomenon, attributed to the ending of our responsibility-free days off and anticipation of the week to come.
But instead of letting them plague your days off, here are 6 things you can do to beat the Sunday night’s angst.
1. Schedule your fun plans for Sunday, instead of Saturday.
Although this seems to go against all conventional weekend etiquette, one of the main problems with Sunday is that lots of us have finished all our fun plans (in a 2016 Monster survey 76% of people said they don’t even leave the house on Sunday) and so we have nothing to distract us until work in the morning.
Instead try to meet with friends or go out for dinner on a Sunday night - it doesn’t have to be a late night to successfully keep you in weekend mode that big longer.
2. Save your drunk night out for Friday night.
We know that at the end of the week we all just want to go home and slump on the sofa rather than hit the town, but going out on a Saturday and dealing with a hangover on Sunday could be making your blues worse.
This is because alcohol contributes to next-day feelings of anxiety and sadness, Professor Paul Wallace, chief medical adviser to Drinkaware, told HuffPost UK: “Having a drink after a hard day might help you relax, but in the long run it can contribute to feelings of depression and anxiety and make stress harder to deal with.”
That sounds an awful lot like our Sunday night.
3. Use the time to exercise.
If you’re anything like us then Sunday is strictly reserved for a long session on the sofa and back-to-back boxsets (or in the pub), but not getting any fresh air or natural light can leave us feeling even more glum.
So instead of deeming these last few hours of the day as a write-off, reclaim them for the good of your body, Shaleena Anand, mindfulness coach, told HuffPost UK: “Taking a walk in nature allows your body to release good endorphins and results in you having more energy than before you exercised.”
4. Get organised for the week ahead.
OK we get that you don’t always want to leave the house on a Sunday night, but instead of just resigning yourself to a Netflix marathon, do something more useful (and that you’ll be grateful for later in the week).
Take some time to prep your lunches for the week ahead, as this will help you go into Monday feeling less stressed (and dreading it less. “Meal prepping will help you look and feel good, as well as being a great way to save extra cash,” said Anand.
5. Write down things you have to be grateful for.
It’s no secret that we all tend to become a little less rational when we’re feeling wound up or anxious, but make sure you don’t lose sight of all the interesting things you have planned for this week too.
Writing a gratitude diary or bullet journal is a good way to reflect on the week just ended and what you want to achieve this week, Professor James Campbell Quick, University of Texas, told HuffPost: “When you go back and look at it you may realise that some of what you’re thinking and feeling is a little off reality.”
6. Go to bed earlier.
OK so going to bed in the late afternoon (when the dreaded angst) first kicks in is admittedly not the best advice, but there is definitely something to be said for trying to get an extra hour, or two, of beauty sleep before a busy week ahead.
Not only will you wake up looking and feeling more refreshed, but this will this stop you from doing the dreaded pre-Monday morning inbox check - stay away from the emails.