Tags
Anxiety, Awareness, Comfort, Depression, Mindfulness, Recharge, Self-Care, Self-Love, Sensitivity, Slow Down, Sundays, Worries
Even though I have been working on weekends for the last 3 years and therefore should be used to Sunday being a regular work day, I can still sense a particular collective vibe on this weekday. On Sundays, there’s just a collective laziness in the air, a taste of sleeping in, breakfast in bed, and slowing down. Which usually makes me feel rather tired and unmotivated at the end of the weekend – even if I didn’t go out the night before and got plenty of sleep…
When I still went to school and lived in Germany, I would get a serious case of the Sunday Blues every week. It was like an unseen pressure, a dark heaviness weighing down the poor souls of students and workers who had to go back to routine the next day. Every Sunday evening I would grief the end of the free weekend, and resist the beginning of a new week at work or school. Which is one of the reasons I love my current Thursday through Monday work schedule: Mondays are my Fridays, so when Sunday rolls around, I’m actually getting real close to my days off (Tuesdays and Wednesdays)…which makes Sunday nights a lot easier to handle!
So how do you manage that Sunday blues? Or any evenings before a big event, pressing task or important test?
Here are a few ideas to help you find calm, clarity and relaxation and get some good rest before a big day:
- Do something you enjoy. Keeping yourself occupied with a soul-soothing activity can keep you from stressing out about things to come that you can’t do anything about in the moment anyway. Think a nice dinner with your spouse or a friend, seeing a good movie at the theater, pampering yourself at a spa or at home, playing games with your kids or immersing yourself in a creative project. I have band rehearsal on Wednesday nights before my work week starts, so I can’t get too occupied feeling anxious about the next day 😉
- Seek out comfort. Cuddle up with a good book and a cup of tea under your favorite snuggly blanket, take a hot aromatherapy bath, cook your favorite breakfast, lunch or dinner at home…do something that makes you feel at home, supported and held. Don’t fight the feeling of laziness – embrace it!
- Practice mindfulness. Insert any practices that help you to focus on the present moment, be it meditation, a walk outside, Yoga, Qigong, breath practices, a visit to the local church or inspirational literature. Be here now. Tomorrow is tomorrow. All you have is today!
- Make a to do list of tomorrow’s tasks. That way you make sure you won’t forget anything. By writing down the tasks of the next day you put them out of your head and onto paper, so you can literally set them aside until morning.
- Make sure you have enough time in the morning the next day. Do whatever you need to do to ensure a relaxed morning that will set you up for success: Decide if you want to set the alarm a little earlier than usual or opt for the extra sleep. Lay out your clothes for the day, pack your work bag or set the table for breakfast. Think of other activities that might be helpful: Schedule in 5 minutes of meditation, 15 minutes of yoga, an extra long shower, 15 minutes of extra sleep or a 20 minute breakfast.
Have you ever had a case of the Sunday Blues? What are your best techniques to beat it? Please share your advice in the comments 🙂
Much love and happy Sunday!