Sunday Night Syndrome

All of us experience some form of Sunday night
syndrome from time to time. What''s important is how often and how
severe it is. It can lead to mild physical and psychological symptoms
which include anxiety, moodiness, thoughts racing and problems with
sleep. Some sufferers might get more profound symptoms like jitters,
fear, fantasies of things going wrong, and trouble concentrating at
work on Monday morning. In extreme cases, individuals can also develop
symptoms like nausea, vomiting, appetite changes, and abdominal cramps.
 Now let’s take a closer look at the stages of
Sunday night syndrome. All of us experience a mild case of syndrome and
its symptoms can typically include a minimal level of anxiety and
nervousness. This anxiety usually affects the last hours of relaxation,
family time, Sunday night dinner, and sleep routines. It makes the
already tough Monday mornings even tougher. Generally the symptoms
begin on Sunday evening as the person starts preparing for the next day
and go away by Monday morning as the person arrives at work.
 The next stage is moderate Sunday night
syndrome and this is characterized by increasing levels of anxiety
which begins earlier on Sunday, may be in morning or afternoon, and it
remains till the next day as well. This anxiety is often accompanied by
irritability and inattentiveness towards friends and family members.
There is something funny that goes with many of the sufferers and that
is the idea of staying awake till late on Sunday nights, in the hope of
keeping Monday morning from arriving. As a result they feel sleepy and
tired on Mondays, and hence they become less productive.
The third stage is the most profound one in
which the symptoms do not even wait for Sunday to arrive. They begin on
Saturday or even Friday after work. At this level the Sunday night
syndrome actually takes the form of “Sunday night dread.” As Sunday
approaches people start experiencing severe anxiety and a strong sense
of dread. Some people become ill at the thought of beginning another
work week. These individuals often suffer from depression and are also
found to have been indulge in drinking and self medications to calm
their emotions.
The cause of Sunday night syndrome differs for
each individual. It depends on the type of work, environment,
education, and adjustment level of the person. Some of the causes
identified are work pressure or work related stress, lack of work
friendly features, worries of going to work on Monday morning, prior
conditioning, a result of school or college pattern where the
individual is used to leave work till Sunday night and then panic as
the time runs out, all these causes continue to provoke feelings of
stress at the same time every week, lack of adjustment in school or at
work place, feelings of insecurity, fear of teachers at school or
nagging boss at office, overwhelming work environment, higher demands
or expectations from employers or teachers. All these factors can lead
to some form of Sunday night syndrome.
 As a sufferer of Sunday night syndrome, I would
like to share my own story here. When I was in school, I was very
scared of my teachers because they used to make me stand up in
classroom whenever I had not completed my home work. On every weekend,
I used to have nausea and stomach cramps before going to school. But
unfortunately I had to go school at any cost. This symptom has
continued till now, I still feel anxious and sad whenever I start a new
week and wait for that week to end soon so that I can get a weekend
again. But now I have found to adjust my self.
These are some of the strategies that you can
follow to enjoy your weekends. For mild or moderate symptoms, just
relax and remember that these feelings will pass. You can rent a movie,
play a game, and enjoy being with family or friends. Try to get to bed
early enough to be rested for the next day. Identify things in youjob
or school that you can feel good about. Identify your strengths to
overcome those feelings of anxiety and nervousness. Do not remain
quiet, but verbalize your feelings to your friends. They might help you
to resolve it. Do something! Talk about your worries or do some
physical exercises in order to get relieved from stress.
 For people with sleep problems do not eat a
heavy meal before bedtime. Do not drink a lot of stimulants like coffee
or alcohol. Do not nap during the day, or at least keep it brief for
15-20 minutes and make sure that the sleep environment is comfortable.
If the condition goes worst, then it is necessary to seek counseling or
treatment to help you manage the stress, emotions or the decisions
involved.
All of us experience Sunday night syndrome, but
its response differs for each individual. It is much more common among
us than we realize. So, it’s necessary to identify the causes,
symptoms, stages and the strategies to overcome this problem. It is
both the result and the cause of stress, and it is important to relieve
ourselves from stress and enjoy our weekends. I think it is a product
of continually working for five days and getting only two days off to
recover. But if you want to enjoy your life and get relaxed on
weekends, then keep yourself free from stress by following above steps
and make your work or school life smooth and easy.