To avoid the Sunday night blues: slow down!

I got the blues… But why?

We’re all aware that we feel a moment of spleen on a Sunday evening, but we don’t always know why. And to tell you the truth, it even differs from person to person.

• Some people, wanting to make the most of their weekend, put off all the unglamorous chores (cleaning or homework) until Sunday evening. A bad idea!
• Others put a lot of hope into their weekend: they organize everything in advance and know what to do, and when. As a result, when Sunday evening arrives, they may feel they haven’t simply enjoyed themselves.
• Many people are anxious to get back to work. That’s what the same Monster study, published in 2008*, reveals.
• Finally, some people don’t take kindly to changes in their biological rhythm. On weekends, we go to bed late, get up late, have a late lunch and sometimes an afternoon nap… all things we don’t do during the week. As a result, our bodies are in a state of upheaval.

A simple spleen ? For some, perhaps, but for many, the emotional elevator of the weekend has repercussions on their state of health: stomach aches, nausea, anxiety, insomnia… 52% of the population slept badly on Sunday night*. What better way to start the week, don’t you think?

Our advice: change the circle!

There’s no better (or worse) way to start the week than with a bad night’s sleep. Having trouble finding your rhythm, and working efficiently all week. And then have only one thing on your mind: the weekend to let off steam.

But as you can see, placing too many expectations on the weekend isn’t a good thing either. It gives us a one-in-one chance of being disappointed. A 50/50 chance of feeling the Sunday night blues. Do you follow?

So, when the weekend comes, our advice is to r a l e n t i r e . So you don’t get caught up in a vicious circle… but a much more virtuous one.

4 tips to avoid the Sunday night blues

Wait a minute, slowing down doesn’t mean “not going out all weekend”. We’re all entitled to a few splurges. And on weekends, they say, anything goes. So how do you slow down?

1. Taking the time to live. Over-activity is not recommended. Although it gives us the impression of making the most of the weekend, it does one thing more than anything else: it exhausts us when Sunday evening comes around. Rather than multiplying activities, the idea is to take the time to do them so as to savor them fully: take time to wake up, take time to have breakfast, take time to walk… Do things in slow motion so as not to exhaust ourselves, and so as to enjoy them.
2. Having fun. Because we don’t regret our weekends as much when they give us pleasure. So follow a single objective: choose fulfilling activities and devote yourself to them… but not too quickly!
3. Resting the body. It too needs a break at the weekend. Although it may seem like a good way to relax, alcohol and big Sunday meals actually over-activate our liver and stomach. Two organs which then do their utmost to eliminate when the weekend comes to an end… And once your body is busy, how can you relax?
4. A Sunday evening ritual. Instead of watching the Sunday night movie on TV, which keeps us awake and exposed to radiation… we try to relax instead. Opt for calm activities that relax us, and prepare us for a good night’s sleep. We run a bath with lavender essential oils, or take a shower, put on a few candles, enjoy a good chicory (only chicory-based)…

To avoid the Sunday night blues, you simply have to take the time to live, indulge yourself and slow down… so you can enjoy it all the more!

*Monster Group study on Monday phobia. April 2008.

*I got the blues (Translation: I got the blues), The Rolling Stones (1971)