Sunday syndrome: How to spot the signs that you need a new job

It was Confucius who said: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” But it’s easier said than done. More than two-thirds of workers aren’t very committed to what they do, according to an annual Gallup poll. And even the luckiest ones — who do what they love for work — aren’t free from having a hard time at their job. Work is not only a source of income, it is also crucial for our mental health. It is therefore important to spot the signs that may hint we need a change, whether it be looking for new challenges in the same organization, setting up a new project or accepting an opportunity in a new workplace. And one of the easiest signs to spot is what is known as the “Sunday syndrome.”

Our minds spend a lot of time imagining the future. So if we are not happy at work, Sunday is a bad day for us, not because of the plans we have for that day, but because we start anticipating Monday. This problem is more than just an uncomfortable feeling, which is very common and has happened to all of us at some point. When we suffer from “Sunday syndrome,” the day becomes a real torture, we have mood swings or even unpleasant physical sensations, such as headaches and stomach aches… If this happens to us, we have to think of an alternative.

Bad bosses have a lot of influence on our lives, and this is another reason to consider. In the United States, it is often said that people do not leave companies, they leave bosses. Some signs of poor management come from lack of recognition, constant overwork, failure to keep promises, and unfair promotions, among others. Once again, it is necessary to analyze whether this is a one-off situation worth learning to navigate or, on the contrary, if it means we need to make a decision.

Filmmaker Woody Allen said that work is an invasion of our privacy and, even if it is, we need to be alert to the silent signs that something is eating away at us. These signs come from demotivation, and the lack of learning opportunities and new challenges. It occurs when work no longer enriches us. We see this in various ways: time passes very slowly during the work day, we are frustrated because we feel like we are wasting our abilities, and we are only excited about the weekends or holidays.

Unlike the silent reasons, there are other reasons that are very obvious, stemming from conflicts that are difficult to solve, such as colleagues who make our lives impossible, toxic bosses or feeling like we no longer believe in our company. These are situations that are very damaging to mental health, so we should not waste too much time looking for an alternative.

Finally, there is the option to change jobs to fulfil your dream and start your own business project. At this point, it is important to recognize the right moment to take the leap. Sergio Fernández, author of Living Without a Boss, suggests thinking of the new project and the employee’s job as two airplanes. Until the first one reaches a sufficient altitude, that is, until it provide us with enough of an income, we should not abandon the one that allows us to make ends meet or to learn. Likewise, he recommends that, when we take the leap, we should leave our job on good terms. “When one stage ends badly, it is likely that the next one will not start off on the right foot,” says Fernandez, something that can be applied to any change we face. Therefore, it is not only important to identify the signs, but to address them in the most appropriate way possible.

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