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6 Steps To Banish Back-To-Work Blues


Submitted by Susie Moore
Posted on 22 Mar, 2020


6 Steps To Banish Back-To-Work Blues

Oh, the dreaded Sunday night blues. They’re some of the most anticipated, melancholy blues since childhood (when they were the back — to-school blues). On Monday mornings we can feel low throughout getting up, getting going and getting to work on time.

It’s not surprising that the end of the weekend, our treasured free time, we feel anxious and not ourselves as we approach a five-day working week. The good news is that they can be reduced, and hopefully overcome, if we give them a little perspective.

Here are six tips to banish the back-to-work blues from our lives:

1. Remember no one likes Monday mornings.
Have you ever met anyone, even someone who truly loved his or her job, say, "I can’t wait for Monday"? I doubt it. At the end of a weekend it’s natural to resist going back to work. Same thing after a vacation. Acknowledge this and know lots of people feel like you do!

2. Plan fun stuff during the week to look forward to.
Zumba on Tuesday night? Dinner with the girls on Thursday? Fun events like these punctuate our week with excitement and joy.

3. Remember that time is an illusion.
Monday is a day like any other. It’s not really any different from a Wednesday or Thursday.

4. Do something enjoyable!
Sunday evenings you are your free time too. Unlike a work night, you can do something at 3 or 4 p.m. — catch a movie, grocery shop and cook something elaborate, buy and get stuck in to your favorite magazine or take a 90-minute yoga class. This will inevitably put you in a better mood than watching TV or spending the evening thinking about the week ahead (unless making a task list for the office helps, in which case, make 20 minutes for that too).

5. Get good zzzzzzs!
Sunday is a great night to get to bed early. Waking up refreshed and well rested is a great note to start the week on (nothing worse than a Monday hangover, too — so keep Sunday brunch to brunch).

6. If all else fails, think, "Do I need to make a change?"
If by the time you get to work the feeling will pass; or, if the feeling worsens over a few Sundays and Mondays, the issue may be a little deeper. Use this as an indication you need to make a change. Your feelings are the best indicator of your thoughts and needs.

Once you get to the office and are surrounded by people, the day feels like any other. So remember — the fun isn’t over at the end of the weekend! Be present and enjoy your life whatever day of the week it is. In the present moment there’s nothing to fear. And ironically, this relaxed attitude always makes the next weekend roll around the fastest.


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