Are you anxious at the end of the weekend? It’s definitely because of the Sunday night blues!

Every employee knows this. In the life of an employee, a certain routine can become established. Metro, work, sleep… You know the song. Before starting the week, a certain anxiety can be more and more oppressive at the end of the weekend. This is what is more commonly called the “Sunday Night Blues”. According to Florian Ferreri, professor of psychiatry, it is characterized by a “mixture of deep boredom and concerns”. In his work Beat the Sunday Night Bluespublished by Hachette in 2016, the specialist explains that it is common for this phenomenon to result in tension, increasing anxiety, stomach aches, severe fatigue, even palpitations.

Researchers from the University of Exeter published a study in March 2023 on the subject to understand the causes. To do this, investigators interviewed a panel of 650 people. In the vast majority of cases, “People experience dips in energy on Sunday evening and an increase in energy level on Monday morning, which researchers say may contribute to experiencing the Sunday night blues”reports the study.

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How do you explain the Sunday night blues?

The academic publication quotes Ilke Inceoglu, professor of organizational behavior and human resource management at the University of Exeter Business School. According to the results of the investigation, he explains the Sunday evening blues by “the blurring of boundaries between home and work”. And to specify: “Border erosion is a problem we are all experiencing since lockdown and is impacting our well-being.” Thus, the study highlights a disconnection which is not respected by the employer or accepted insidiously by employees. Teleworking which became widespread during the Covid-19 health crisis has accelerated this mix between professional and private life.

For his part, Florian Ferreri explains that “many, out of anxiety of anticipation, because they are conscientious or invested in their mission, plan themselves, from Sunday evening, into their work”. A vision that philosophy professor Gilles Vervisch can share. However, in his essay How to escape Sunday afternoon boredom (published by Flammarion), the philosopher goes further in the analysis: “Sunday is the only time of the week when we find ourselves confronted with ourselves. It is a mirror held up that invites us to reflect on the meaning of existence. This is above all what is difficult.”

Solutions for employee well-being

Researchers from the University of Exeter carried out their study in collaboration with Channel 4 and Investors in People. The director of human resources at the British public television channel, Kirstin Furber, assured that she would propose solutions based on the feedback from the study: “For example, we suggest managers talk to their teams to ask them what would help them be at their best on Monday, whether that’s a status update on Monday morning and/or a starting point on Friday to reflect on the past week.” Additionally, managers should, as much as possible, avoid sending emails over the weekend.

Questioned by Doctissimo, psychologist Sabrina Philippe believes that “the greater the workload, the more Sunday evening depression is in general, because we have this impression of running out of time”. This is why she enjoins everyone to “succeed in getting out of it”. The solution could therefore be to give yourself time slots to do what you love, which will avoid thinking about the week ahead of us.