People Who Spend Weekends Running Errands & Dreading Monday Are Usually Emotionally Drained By 6 Things
goodluz | ShutterstockSome people waste their entire weekend running errands and worrying about Monday. They never recharge because they're emotionally drained before they can even enjoy themselves.
Now, I’m not here to tell you to throw out your responsibilities on your days off, but learning to balance your time, especially your free time, can improve your quality of life. Squeezing everything that needs to get done into one or two days doesn't exactly make those Sunday scaries go away. It's making them worse.
People who barely have fun on the weekends and spend their time angry about Monday are emotionally drained by these things:
1. Being overbooked
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When you always have somewhere to be or something to do, you aren't setting aside the time you need for yourself.
Sure, some people thrive in a fast-paced work environment, but that should essentially be put on pause or at least slowed down when Friday night hits. Psychotherapist Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D., LMFT, explained, "Remember that you can’t function well if you’ve exhausted all your resources by never stopping to take a rest."
It’s okay to let your social battery reset. Think of your body like it’s your phone. You can’t just constantly use it without charging it.
2. Having an unfulfilling job
If you consistently feel dread for the upcoming work week, you may have a job that just isn’t fulfilling or meeting your needs. Of course, no one unconditionally loves their job. It is work, at the end of the day.
However, jobs are also meant to bring purpose and fulfillment into your life. If your job consistently falls short of your personal needs, it may be time to look for a new one or even go back to school. It is never too late.
3. Having nothing to look forward to
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It’s easy to fall into a rut, especially when weekends feel like just another day full of chores and responsibilities. That feeling of having nothing to look forward to may be a sign that it's time to switch things up a bit.
I know that when I have a trip planned on the calendar, I immediately feel better about my life, even if I’m struggling in my current state. But this doesn’t always have to be some big, elaborate excursion. Maybe it’s just setting aside a night to see some old friends or even getting your hair done. Having something to look forward to is one of the best ways to relieve some of that anxiety and bring joy back into your weekends.
4. People-pleasing
Being a people-pleaser is one of the hardest things to quit, or even realize you are doing in the first place. When you can't say no, you end up doing a lot of activities you might not particularly enjoy or even want to do.
We all do things for our loved ones that we might not want to do, but compromise is important. There needs to be balance, or you’ll start to overbook yourself, and not even with stuff you like! Learning how to say no is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
5. Having no external support system
Having an outlet in your life is incredibly important. Some weeks will be harder than others, and sometimes you just need someone to lean on.
When you surround yourself with people you don’t feel a strong emotional connection with, or you've gotten so busy that you've let the important people in your life take a back seat to work, you can easily find yourself in a rut. Before you know it, your weekends feel no different than the weekdays.
6. Anticipatory anxiety
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Lastly, it’s important to understand what you’re feeling when you experience this emotional distress. Dreading the work week before it even begins can be a sign of anticipatory anxiety, which is when you experience worry or dread about something that hasn’t happened yet.
Maybe you love your job and still feel this way, and that’s okay. But if you find yourself spending your entire weekend worrying about Monday, that anxiety may be contributing to the emotional exhaustion you’re feeling.
Julia McNulty is a writer with a Master’s degree in Literary & Cultural Studies who specializes in lifestyle, relationship, culture, and human interest topics.
