Last Monday I had a conversation with someone who said they HATED Mondays. “I don’t know why but I am exhausted, even though I did nothing”, he complained. I have heard many times from clients that their worst night sleep is Sunday night. For many, it is restless, with the mind taking control and going over every detail for the next day’s schedule. For others, there just hasn’t been enough downtime to really feel like they had a break.
Realistically, most of us are happy with Sunday + Sunday + Sunday + Sunday + Sunday = Vacation.
But one day, what to do with that? We are so revved up Monday through Friday. Often, Saturday has housework, homework, yard work, or other duties in it, so even if it is a different pace from the other days, it is more like the orange light, we slow down, but don’t always make a full stop. By Sunday, we may be too exhausted to do anything, too busy doing what we did not have time for on Saturday, or we get out and do every single leisure thing possible and come home and feel unrested and gypped.
I think some of it has to do with structured and unstructured time, and how you satisfy your needs for both.
Some of us have schedules: here for 9 there for 10:30 and the other place for noon…..and others have a 9-5 in one place. That is structure. Maybe you like that on your weekends, maybe not. Maybe you get unstructured time and can’t change gears fast enough to figure out what to do with that time. Maybe you feel unproductive when you do “nothing”. These are all questions to promote you finding good options and balance for yourself.
I don’t think there is one answer for anybody all the time. It is a little week by week. If you have had a seriously overbooked week, it might balance you out to start your Suncation on Saturday afternoon. It is really good to touch base with yourself about these things on Friday night. Set a kind of intention for your weekend.
Naturally a “make the best out of it” kind of approach and honoring what comes up is helpful.
As for Sunday night restlessness, well, a little deep breathing or a soothing bath or something that breaks out of your usual Monday-Friday routine might work. You can also join me in my Sunday night Yoga Classes in which you will give yourself the gift of feeling re-energized, re-balanced, and relaxed, hopefully encourage a healthy sleep and great transition into your next week.
Rana Waxman is a registered yoga therapist ERYT-500, with 20 years of teaching experience. Rana is a freelance writer and social media expert in addition to leading yoga workshops internationally and teaching alignment focused private and group Yoga Lessons in Hoboken and Jersey City NJ.
