You’ve had a wonderful weekend. Dinner with friends. Downtime with family. A little productivity and a little relaxation. And then Sunday afternoon arrives. All of a sudden, you have a looming sense of dread that Monday is just a few hours away. You start running through your to-do list in your head. What do you have to do this week at work? What tasks did you leave unfinished on Friday? What events are coming up on the calendar?
If any of this sounds familiar, then you experience the Sunday night blues. And you’re far from alone. A 2015 international Monster.com poll reported that 76 percent of U.S. respondents said they get these blues “really bad,” along with 62 percent of global respondents.
It’s a terrible feeling to get every week, but it’s not a fate you have to resign yourself to forever. Use journaling to overcome Sunday stress and have more fun on the weekends.
Keep your journal handy, and try these therapeutic writing tips this week:
Friday
It’s tempting to hightail it out of work as fast as you can on Friday afternoon, but you can diminish your anxiety on Monday by pausing for a few minutes of journaling. Before you finish up for the day, celebrate your victories from this week, and sketch out a rough outline or to-do list for the upcoming week. What are your biggest priorities? What are you most worried about? What are you looking forward to? What do you want to make progress on or complete by next Friday? Free-write about your general feelings about the next week, then write yourself a permission slip to go enjoy the weekend.
Saturday
Start your Saturday morning with a brief burst of therapeutic writing in your journal. Set intentions for the weekend. What do you want to spend your time doing? What chores, errands or other less fun things do you need to do? Jot down ideas for how you can find a good balance between obligations and leisure activities. Are there usually chores you leave till late Sunday that increase your stress before Monday morning? Is there a way you can do those earlier in the weekend and leave more relaxed time on Sunday? Close your journal entry with a reflection on what you’re grateful for today.
Sunday
When you wake up, brainstorm your favorite ways to spend Sunday. What would you do if you had nothing but time at your disposal? Now see how you can incorporate at least one of these activities into your day, preferably in the afternoon or evening. Make a plan for doing something you genuinely look forward to, whether that’s meeting a friend for a coffee, reading a book, going to a movie or playing basketball with your kids.
Before you go to bed, spend a few more minutes journaling Night Notes. Work through some of your feelings about Monday morning. Are there any stress triggers you recognize? A meeting you’re anxious about? Co-workers you can’t stand? A task you haven’t been able to finish yet? Try to break down anything you can’t quite explain, and see if there’s something deeper beneath the Sunday night blues. End your entry by setting one positive goal or making one fulfilling plan for the week.
Keep this therapeutic writing exercise up every week, and see how much healthier and happier you become. #WriteON!
Join us for our Get Healthy Journaling Challenge April 1st!
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