Ain’t No Cure for the Sunday Night Blues

You know that ecstatic feeling that hits around 4:30 p.m. on Fridays? You know, the one that makes you want to crank up some Johnny Kemp and dance for joy?

Well, the polar opposite of that would be that sinking feeling that hits your stomach around 5pm on Sunday night. The sun is setting. Temperatures have cooled. The world suddenly seems very quiet and very cold. That, my friend, is known as the Sunday Night Blues. Affecting even those that enjoy their jobs, this syndrome can render you pretty helpless as you grip onto every last second that remains of the weekend.

For a while I used to think that I was some sort of wussy or punk for getting so worked up about the week ahead. I mean, even though I love my job, it never fails that each and every week there is some sort of unexpected crisis that emerges. I used to try to prepare for it, but found that even after several Sundays of carefully considering my upcoming schedule and pondering various scenarios, there truly was no way to anticipate whatever craziness awaited me the next week.

For more tips about how to overcome the Sunday Night Blues, check out these articles:

• 10 Sunday Night Blues Busters for a Better Monday Morning
• How to Overcome the Sunday Night Blues

I take some comfort in knowing that I’m not the only one who goes through this week after week. It’s just a fact of modern life. So, instead of trying to anticipate the week’s drama, which only heightens my Sunday Night Blues, I’ve been trying to develop calming routines. Back in the day, this included watching the new episode of the Sopranos. More recently, it consists of making calls to my family, folding laundry and prepping a few meals and outfits for the week. This at least helps me go to sleep knowing that I’ve got something of a jump start on the week ahead.

And for those weekends that are “wasted” – that I didn’t get to do all of the chores or social things that I had planned? I try to keep this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson in mind:

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

And, if that still doesn’t do the trick, I make sure to kick off my Monday with the ultimate Monday morning anthem, courtesy of Miss Jill Scott:

Have a great week, everyone!

— curvyceo