The Sunday/Monday Work Blues

Every Sunday night and Monday morning I get the work blues.

I used to get anxious every Sunday, but now that my boss took some work off my plate, I don't feel the anxiety as much, but I feel low and depressed.

How do you resolve this? I don't want to feel depressed every week like this.

I can relate to this now that I'm in a steady Monday-Friday work routine (I'm on placement for college - it's like a full-time job but you don't get paid).

I think for me it's the stark contrast between having a routine during the week, and doing much less during the weekend. I think one way I could improve the "Sunday blues" is to have more of an established routine on the weekends.

What I currently do is on Monday I just throw myself back into the routine - wake up at 6:45am, shower, feed the cats, breakfast, walk to placement, work until 4. By the time I'm at work for a couple of hours, I'm back in the groove and ready for the week. And honestly, I'm a lot happier when I'm engaged in a routine.

This post has given me a push to improve my weekend routine, so thank you very much for that. I hope we both have a fabulous Monday.

Aw, thanks! I’m glad you found a solution!! That sounds like it works very well for you.

My issue is the opposite. I LOVE my freedom and having no routine on the weekends lol. So when I have to return to responsibility and a routine, I get depressed. I don’t like it. I prefer to not have to be awake at a certain time, get ready etc and be at work at a certain time. I wish I could run my own gig or business but I’d probably be working around the clock. I love freedom and just having fun, which is my weekends. I do get out for fun during the week so I have something to look forward to, but I really don’t know how to resolve the Sunday night/ Monday morning depression. Argh.

I wrote out a gratitude list last night before falling asleep. I think that actually helped a little as I woke up to my early morning routines. I'm still in a 'change the script' mode at work, so my dread and anxiety has certainly shifted. I am a tad bit irritable tonight, but I suspect it's a combination of waking before my alarm, added life stressors outside of the workplace and there's something deeper about my having relocated to a different community almost 5-6 years ago that's tugging me away from the blues.

Music or podcasts at my desk helps distract me. Humor helps too. Sometimes just laughing and joking with coworkers helps perk me up a bit.

A gratitude list is a great idea!! Maybe I’ll try that next week. Honestly I’ll try anything at this point.. I dread Sunday nights.

I do listen to music at work with my ear pods. That does help some. Once I get to work I’m relatively ok. It’s the beforehand that’s really tough.