That Sunday Night Feeling...and how to avoid it!

In a 2018 study conducted by mind.org, they discovered that almost half of UK workers were living and dealing with some form of mental health issue caused by work-related pressures. Then in a 2019 study by The Sleep Judge they published that 81% were suffering from anxiety caused by sleeplessness and the dreaded 'Sunday Night Feeling'; that feeling of uncertainty about the week ahead. You know the kind of thing; what will be lurking in your inbox when you arrive at the office or the horror of facing that job you didn't complete the previous week, or a meeting that you've not been looking forward to.

So, what can you do to try and avoid this and start to feel good about getting up on a Monday morning? Well, there have been lots of articles which discuss these, but here are my top 5!

1. Feelgood Friday

I know what it's like; you've had a hard week of meetings and all you want to do it to get to the end of the day on Friday and head home, put your feet up and relax. This is completely understandable, but why not try setting some of your Friday afternoon aside to allow you to prep for the week ahead? Even something as basic as clearing all the junk, notes and piles of paper from your desk before you leave can help, or maybe take a look at your Monday morning and make sure you're all sorted for any scheduled meetings.

2. Household Chores

Many people's weekend is made up of household chores, housework, cutting the grass and DIY. If you can try and get those jobs done and dusted early on a Saturday morning, then this will leave the weekend clear for some fun and relaxation. I have even tried to bring some of the usual weekend chores into some of the weeknights, so I don't have to think about them at the weekend.

3. Sunday Funday

Make sure you try and do at least one really fun thing over the weekend, something that YOU really get enjoyment out of. Even if it's just a movie with the kids or a cuddle on the sofa with your other half, try and prioritise some you-time.

4. Don't Make Me Think

Try and make your week ahead as easy on the mind as possible by making a plan for the things you can. What are you going to wear? What are you going to eat? Who is taking the kids to school or picking them up? If you get some of these things sorted, then the difficult or unexpected things that often need to most brainpower can be easier to handle.

5. Monday Motivation

Where your diary allows for it, try to move those hideous Monday morning meetings or jobs that fill you with dread and replace them with a task that you enjoy. Put in that meeting with your favourite client or colleague, or if you love putting the weekly sales figures together, block your diary out and do that first thing on a Monday instead - that way you'll have something to look forward to.

Unfortunately, these small changes or ideas won't cure any underlying issues, but they should help with the transition between work-week and weekend and back again. It may also be work speaking to your manager or HR department to see if there are any support mechanisms that they can help with or changes they can suggest to help with a more stress-free working week. As businesses and leaders, we have a responsibility and duty of care to all our teams to ensure we are offering as much support as we can to help our teams and colleagues be the best they can be.

I'd love to hear from you if there are any things you do to help ease that Sunday Night Feeling...