Sunday afternoon anxiety is a well-known phenomenon, it is an internal anxiety that usually occurs on Sunday afternoons and evenings.
People who feel it report anxiety, sadness, nostalgia and, sometimes, a very uncomfortable feeling of emptiness, and they do not know how to explain why.
- Sunday afternoon marks the transition between the week ending and the week that begins.
- It means fulfilling daily obligations.
In addition, it also usually mark the end of the break and the beginning of a new cycle in which it is necessary to regain responsibility and take care of what needs to be done.
For some people, Sunday afternoon’s anxiety is so great that it causes them insomnia; between Sunday and Monday, these people have difficulty falling asleep, which increases the turmoil.
They may also experience migraines, indigestion or physical discomfort. Why is all this happening and how do we deal with this situation?
“Sunday afternoon, an ideal moment like no other to, if you have a friend by your side, you feel the need to open your heart and say it all. ” – Jane Austen-
Sunday afternoon anxiety is also known as Sunday syndrome, we know that this happens to people from all countries, of all ages and social conditions.
This problem was first detected in 2006 by American psychologist Larina Kase, who has conducted extensive research on this topic at the Center for the Study and Treatment of Anxiety at the University of Pennsylvania.
Studies by Kase and other researchers who investigated the topic indicated that the main cause of Sunday afternoon’s anxiety is some degree of professional dissatisfaction, who encounters this problem has unresolved difficulties in the workplace or in their working life.
Some people just don’t like the work they have, they don’t like what they do, so they feel that the beginning of the week is the beginning of torture.
Others feel Sunday afternoon anguish over the tensions they have in their work environment, they cannot live in harmony with their peers or bosses, so when the week begins the tension returns.
There is also the case of people who doubt their own ability to perform professionally and never know if they will do their job on time or not.
They don’t think they can do their job well either. Starting a new week is renewing this feeling of insecurity and/or incompetence.
In addition, discomfort can also occur in those who have no job. For these people, the beginning of the week represents one more chapter in this uncertain struggle to get a new job.
It is precisely this uncertainty that they will not know whether they will succeed or not, that triggers Sunday afternoon’s anxiety that after the weekend they have to face the harsh reality again.
Finally, there are also people who do not show enough contempt, they are people who have a professional overload. Sometimes they have to spend their rest time on demanding activities, a second job, studying or taking care of the house.
It is frustrating for them to arrive on Monday without resting on the weekend, on Sunday afternoons they can feel the weight of this lifestyle.
What happens, in fact, is that on Sunday afternoons we tend to face our reality more crudely than at other times, before our eyes, loneliness, frustrations and expectations are fulfilled or not.
So many times, even without looking for it, we end up in a moment of introspection or trying to avoid it, that’s what, after all, is at the heart of anguish.
One thing that can help us better manage Sunday afternoon’s anxiety is to follow these recommendations:
In any case, we must not forget that the solution is not to avoid introspection when we have problems, but to do so in depth.
Sometimes we need professional help to digest and treat these uncomfortable emotions, sometimes it is only necessary to adjust certain aspects or make specific decisions.