Is Work Anxiety Affecting Your Weekends

What to Do

Everyone knows the feeling: you’ve just finished a stressful work week and can’t get home. You’ve envisioned the perfect weekend for yourself. On Saturday, you’ll relax on the couch, order takeout, and grab a drink with friends. But when you get home, you can’t shake the feeling that you’ve got more to do.

Instead of getting recharged, you spend the weekend nervously checking emails, replaying tiny mistakes from the last week, and obsessing over your next week’s schedule. By Sunday night, all you’ve done for the previous two days is stress about work, and then it’s on to another week. How can you stop this dreaded cycle?

Turn off email notifications.

Checking your emails means you’re working. Period. If you plan on keeping work stress from infecting your weekend, it's time to set some boundaries for yourself! Can you ignore your email from Friday evening to Monday morning? Better yet, turn off email notifications. Does your work culture allow you to do this? We’re so tied to our phones that we’ve created the illusion of urgency. You probably feel obligated to answer as soon as you get a notification. Ignore those feelings—you’re entitled to time off, and emails can wait until Monday. Does your work culture or personal belief system allow you to do this?

Change your expectations.

One weekend doesn't change your life in a high-stress, career-driven world. Your responsibilities will still be there on Monday, and these two days off won't erase your accumulated anxieties. If you shift your expectations from "This is the one weekend I need to finally feel calm!" to "I'm going to take this weekend and not think about work," you're not focusing too much on what you can and can't achieve. Instead, you're granting yourself the gift of respite, a brief but valuable intermission from the daily grind. It's a chance to recharge, reconnect with yourself, and find solace in the present moment without the weight of work looming over you.

As Dandapani, the esteemed Hindu priest and former monk, wisely reminds us, think of your energy like a gas tank. In the hustle and bustle of our modern lives, it's vital to acknowledge that your energy is not boundless. Just as a car requires fuel to keep moving, you must also seek ways to refill your cup. So, take this weekend to refuel, to replenish your energy, and to reconnect with what truly matters in life.

Quit multitasking.

Learn the art of mindfulness—allow your sensations and feelings in the moment to take complete focus. When you’re doing a task, let that task be the most important thing in the world. For example, focus on the warm water during your Friday night bath and how steam feels on your face. Enjoy the sensations of relaxing and washing your body. Pay attention to what you can see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. On the weekends, try to get mindful at any point in the day. It’s a research-backed technique that has been proven effective in combating anxiety.

Stick to a routine.

You might experience more anxiety on weekends due to the lack of structure. You can feel unanchored, unsure of what to do or where to go, with no set schedule. To combat this, it's crucial to establish a routine. Having a plan in place will provide direction and stability, making you less concerned about the uncertain future and more focused on the present moment.

Allocate time for activities you genuinely enjoy. Whether cooking a delightful brunch on Sunday, catching a movie, or attending a midafternoon yoga class, engage in hobbies that bring you joy. Hobbies offer structure and serve as a respite from work-related stress. Making time to do something that refills your cup and brings you a sense of fulfillment is essential.

Throughout the workweek, your energy might be depleted by job-related stress. By incorporating routine and engaging in hobbies that bring you happiness, you create an outlet for anxiety and develop healthier coping mechanisms for dealing with work-related stress. Embracing a routine and making time for enjoyable activities can help you manage weekend anxiety more effectively.

Give yourself rewards throughout the week.

If you place much value on the weekends, try spacing out your fun throughout the week. Schedule something fun on Monday nights to reward yourself for getting through that first workday. Dedicate your Wednesday night to self-care or your favorite dessert. The workweek won't feel so interminable when you have things to look forward to.

Is the anxiety too much?

While getting the “Sunday scaries” before starting your workweek is unfortunately not that uncommon, feeling overwhelmed or paralyzed isn’t. Your high-stress work environment may contribute to an anxiety disorder or burnout. If that’s the case, talking to a mental health professional can get you back on track. A therapist will help you develop positive coping mechanisms and change your stress response behaviors.

To learn more about how therapy can help you overcome your work anxiety, please get in touch with us.