Are You Feeling Sunday Anxiety?




Sunday anxiety is also known as "Sunday Syndrome".

Sunday nights used to be the worst night of the week for me. If you have ever experienced Sunday anxiety, you know what I'm talking about. I would go to bed, but wouldn't fall asleep for hours (as I did many nights) stressing over the coming work week. Turning off the chatter in my head was part of the problem. I was thinking of every possible scenario that could take place at work, from anything that may have been left incomplete the prior week, to all the tasks that lie ahead. On top of that, there was the stress of wondering if all of my efforts from the previous week or two would pay off in sales for the coming week. So starting off the work week exhausted because of a restless Sunday night wasn't exactly productive.

Weekends just seemed like second shift to me. It was that time to catch up on household chores, family obligations, and errands. Chris and I still would try to fit in date night every weekend but sometimes we were just too exhausted to fulfill it. Before we knew it, Sunday afternoon was here and the clock was ticking.

Now that I have been blessed with the gift of time, I am sleeping though my nights much better. Don't get me wrong, I haven't totally adjusted to my newfound time. I have awakened many mornings feeling a little disoriented and worried about being "late". But I'm getting there.

If you are experiencing Sunday Syndrome, here are a few tips from Dr. Larina Kase, PsyD, MBA, President of Performance & Success Coaching.


"Five-step solution to the Sunday Syndrome:

1: Straighten up your work area as you leave on Fridays to remove the stress of Monday morning catch up. Remind yourself on Sunday that your desk is clean and ready for you. Picture a clean start, beginning the week feeling refreshed and caught up.

2: Schedule your errands, work and fun activities without leaving all the stressful ones for Sunday. People typically over-schedule their weekends or don’t schedule anything. Instead, use planning to work for you and motivated you to get the difficult stuff done on Saturday and leave Sunday for the fun.

3: Set the alarm for the same time everyday including Saturday and Sunday. People who sleep later on weekends frequently experience The Sunday Syndrome when they cannot fall asleep on Sunday night. If you want to sleep in on the weekends, make it no more than 30 minutes. Or let Saturday be your sleep in day and be sure to wake up at the same time on Sunday as you will on Monday.

4: Savor Sundays by planning an enjoyable activity for yourself or your family. People get depressed and dread the end of their weekend, but this fun event replaces dread with excitement. If you get depressed, schedule something interactive and enjoyable. If you get agitated and on edge, plan something relaxing and soothing.

5: Sleep more soundly on Sunday night. Research on sleep disorders shows that taking a warm shower two hours before bedtime relaxes you and raises your body temperature. Then when it comes down again, you feel sleepy. Once in bed, turn the clock out of your sightline to remove the reminder of your Monday morning 6 am alarm worries."

I'm looking forward to this coming week and I actually have a few things on my personal "to-do" list to tackle. I won't be putting any pressure on myself or setting hard deadlines. I'm on a much needed break from all that....for now anyway.

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