The Recipe To Overcome Sunday Syndrome
Written by: Chrysanthi Vazitari, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Do you ever wonder why we love Fridays so much, that we even made songs about them (TGIF, Friday I’m in love, Friday on my mind) while Sundays’ titles sound like energy drainers (Blue Sunday, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Gloomy Sunday)? I am sure the answer is easy... Sundays lack all of the hope, optimism, and promise that a Friday offers to the world.
By the word “syndrome”, I don’t refer to a medical or psychological disorder. In this context, the syndrome is a gathering of challenges, emotions, thoughts and feelings that many people experience. The symptoms appear gradually while the day is progressing. It starts with an annoying thought “Ah, I don’t want to go to work on Monday” and it escalates with the feeling of a knot in the stomach, mood swings and irritation.
The 3 S’s of Sunday are:
Stress: It is the form of anticipatory anxiety. You experience increased levels of anxiety by thinking about an event or a situation in the future, i.e. going to work, turning on your laptop for work, or even anxiety about the working week ahead.
Stupor: It’s the state of reduced consciousness or sensibility. You are not living in the moment, aka enjoying Sunday, but unconsciously you keep thinking and getting stressed about something in the future.
Sadness: You are grieving, you are feeling helpless and in despair! On one hand you know that you don’t want to feel like this, but at the same time, you are not sure how to remove yourself from this swamp.
Who can be affected?
There is no age limit in the Sunday Syndrome, it can affect kids and teenagers, who are not willing to go to school on Monday, or adults of 25, 35, 45, 55 years old, who are not willing to go to work.
The funny fact about the word “Sunday” is that it has the word SUN in it! It gives the meaning of shiny, sunny and peaceful moments. Our Sundays should and can be different, it doesn’t have to be the day that makes us think about work, about stress or obligations. We can turn it into a day of motivation, creativity, and family or friends time. We can bring the smell of freedom, the feeling of a summer breeze in our face and the taste of our favorite food!
By having Sundays like this, we establish a clean sheet for Mondays. Tony Robbins says “Life happens FOR you not TO you”. Own your feelings, emotions, thoughts, behaviors, habits.
How do we do that?
Here are the 5 ingredients to the recipe of Overcoming Sunday Syndrome
1. A spoon of “presence”
Be there or be squared - Work on being present & in the moment! We all tend to think about the future or stick to the past. Being in the moment, living in the present and enjoying the “now” is crucial! Discover mindful/meditation exercises that suit you the most and allocate 2-3’ to…
2. A cup of “mindfulness”
Mindful or mind full : Work on managing stress/ anxiety or overwhelm. Identify this feeling of being overwhelmed… This “overwhelm” is like what? Make a list of the elements that contribute to that feeling. Separate them to internal (up to you) and external (up to the other factors) and focus on the internal. Are there any actions you can take to make improvements? Concerning the external ones, this is the part of letting go and accept that not everything is under your control.
3. Whisk everything with a slice of “gratitude”
Journaling: Where focus goes, energy flows. Instead of thinking about all the things you have to do and get frustrated before you even arrive at the office, start your day with a morning routine and simply journal 3 things you are grateful for during your day!
4. Prepare the oven “overnight”
Create a night routine: Have some “me” time and of course keep a sleep schedule. It can happen to stay up late on a Friday or Saturday night and be tempted to sleep later in the day, but this can increase restlessness on Sunday night and make the upcoming week much more daunting. Try to keep a consistent, or similar, bedtime and alarm for each day of the week.
5. Share your “dish” with someone
Work with a coach: I know what you are thinking… “of course she’ll say to work with a coach, she is a coach!” And I am going to reply to you… I am a coach because of what coaching can do and how it can help someone. Work with someone, coach, mentor, therapist whatever works for you. Just do not passively accept things that do not make you happy, satisfied or fulfilled.
You might be slightly disappointed by reading this article because you were expecting some kind of miracle written here, or something you never read before. If you expect an easy fix, then yes… It is quite disappointing. We see a greater good only in the things that we allocate the necessary effort! So, I am asking you, are you willing to do the necessary work to shift the way you see, feel, and perceive Sundays?! From the decay of mind and soul to rejuvenating and creating… From the “Sunday syndrome” to the “passage to Monday”.
Chrysanthi Vazitari, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Chrysanthi is a certified transformational coach working with multi-passionate and highly energetic professionals, who try to get career satisfaction, advancement or who want to completely pivot their careers. Chrysa has successfully pivoted her career three times already, from an educator to communications advisor in big corporations and is now an entrepreneur/coach. She is the founder of Career Grow & Glow and the co-founder of GrowthUP coaching. Her coaching method is the ACC: Awareness ‒ Clarity ‒ Choice (by CMA) in combination with somatic/embodied and cognitive-behavioral elements. Of course, there is constant change, as she doesn't rest and keep incorporating new methods along the way!
