Why Are Sundays So Melancholy?

Sundays mean a lot to people. It is a day many people fear because of the feelings it brings to them. For others, the last day of the week is a day to recharge their batteries and be present.

Many people feel anxious on Sundays. The day overwhelms us with its nostalgia and truth. In some ways, it’s like Sunday strikes us in the face with a serious dose of reality. “Here I am, here is your freedom, here you are, here is your life.” It’s the end of a cycle, the end of the week.

It’s like it showed us everything we did not want to think about. Like opening a drawer we tried so hard to keep it closed all week. But almost as if it is magic, the drawer always opens on Sundays. A moment where it opens up and releases everything we do not want to feel.

On the other hand, Sunday is a bit of a paradox, because we are often most tired that day. We wonder how in the world we can start a new week like this. But at the same time we are tired on Sundays because we have different schedules on the weekends. These changes make our bodies feel a little “out on the ground”. Sometimes it’s because we rest too much, or because the change from the rest of the week’s stress was intense.

Sunday makes us think about life, without there being anything there to distract us or keep us from reflecting. This is your life, this is who you are. It’s like being dressed completely naked and left unable to defend yourself against the uncertain future. On Monday, we put on work clothes, both literally and figuratively. We will distract ourselves from Sunday’s melancholy when we start working.

By staying busy, we find peace, meaning, direction and stability. We mean something, we have a purpose. We have a place in the world. Our grain of sand to help build our society. A society full of people who fear the moment their lives are revealed for what it is. People who are frightened, paradoxically, of freedom.

Erich Fromm pointed out this situation in his work “The Fear of Freedom” (1941). Here he highlights this interesting paradox between wanting freedom, and fearing it and the responsibility that it entails. If I am unemployed, I am fully responsible for my existence and my choices. This abyss where I have to invent myself, causes intense distress, unrest and insecurity.

Sometimes we do everything necessary to avoid the melancholy on Sundays

We feel an emptiness filled with melancholy. There is a melancholy that appears on this frightening last day of the week, called Sunday. Sundays are a kind of limbo between who we are in society (our professional role) and who we are deep down. It puts our basic loneliness right in front of us. The loneliness we do not want to see.

Sometimes we push our loneliness away by looking for some kind of company.  We do everything to not be alone. Because when we are alone, we feel the melancholy invading. We do what is within our power to avoid these feelings. Maybe we sleep all day or spend time with people whose company does not do much else for us. Or we’re just trying to stay busy.

Many people who are addicted to work can not stand the idea of ​​going a whole day without working. A day without a job would mean that they have to face the truth about who they are and how they run away from themselves. Frenetic activity fills us with life because we are busy and we feel useful. But it also takes us away from who we really are. It puts a distance between us and loneliness and unrest.

Work distracts us from who we are deep down

Work helps us avoid melancholy and anxiety that appear on Sundays. Everything we try so hard to cover will eventually come out when we least expect it. Therefore, it is important to take an honest look at what is happening inside of us. Otherwise we will not be able to make the best of this thing we are trying not to see.

It makes sense to feel this way on Sundays. Coming back from a trip, the day before our busy routine begins again… This inner storm has a meaning and a feeling. It is a feeling that is not always obvious. It is important to live as useful beings who hunt and believe in meaning, in building materials.

At the same time, it is important to take care of our nature as human beings. In this way we can understand these natural reactions that occur abruptly and / or repetitively. Listening, embracing and accepting our anxiety and melancholy will make them more bearable and definitely more rewarding.