Working in or owning an optometric practice can be great. There’s the health and science side which is always evolving and appeals to the learner part of you and there’s the business side that appeals to the creator/builder part of you.
Of course, the ever-evolving part of health and science means that you have to stay on top of all these changes and the business side of things means that you have to promote your business or else, no one will be coming in to get eye care services. Not to mention, you have to pay the bills, deal with employees and patients. Yikes! Thinking about all the things you need to do at work can lead to a feeling of dread that comes on Sunday evenings that are known as the Sunday Scaries.
Unfortunately, Sunday Scaries are more prevalent in the U.S. than other countries and many experts say that this is because American’s have less vacation time than people in other countries and we tend to use less than the full amount of our vacation time. Not to mention, today’s lean companies that have more work than can be done in a 40-hour work week. Therefore, people either work late at the office or bring work home. Also, technology has made it so that we are always accessible, so it is not unusual for a boss to email or text after hours about work issues. So, combine less leisure time with more work, no wonder people feel a sense of dread on Sunday evenings.
There are ways to make Sundays less scary.
Eat Healthy and Get Enough Sleep
What is good enough for patients is good enough for you. Be sure to fit in enough fruits and veggies in your diet and be sure to get eight hours of sleep a night. Those things are not new and flashy but they work wonders in helping you to feel better. One way to improve sleep is to make a To Do list of all the tasks that you need to do each week. Once everything that needs to be done is written down, there is no fear that you will forget to do something and you will sleep better because you took the time to write down what you need to do. As for eating, seek out foods that have Vitamin B such as almonds, cashews and walnuts, which fight off stress and foods that have omega three fatty acids, such as fish, help to boost mood and focus. Yes, eating junk food and staying out late on the weekends is appealing, the thing is, making time for sleep and eating health will make you feel better.
Limit the Time Spent on Social Media and Put the Devices Away
While it is fun to scroll through social media and see all the fun stuff friends are doing, it is important to remember that social media is more of a highlights reel. Yes, everyone is looks like they are having fun during Happy Hour at the local watering hole. What the picture doesn’t tell you, are which ones are dealing with unhappy relationships, which ones have work or money trouble and which ones who have health issues. Also, if you aren’t the doctor on call, you don’t have to have your phone by your side at all times. While social media and smartphones have their place, you don’t need to know what your friend ate ten minutes ago and you are not so important that you need to have your phone in your pocket at all times.
Make Plans to Do Something Fun
Take some time on Sunday and during the week to exercise, get together with a friend in real life or try out a new restaurant. Those things will give you something else to think about and make you feel better. Believe it or not, doing something fun during the work week will help the Sundays be less scary because you aren’t just focused on work. Rather you have a new restaurant to check out or an exercise class to attend, not 100 emails to answer or 20 voicemails to listen to or another meeting to attend.
Sunday or any other day of the week doesn’t have to be scary. While having as much vacation time as our European counterparts would be nice, that isn’t a possibility for most people. Thankfully there are ways to lessen the dread that comes with working. Of course, if all else fails, you can bring a teddy bear to bed with you. They’ve been known to make things less scary at night.
Sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/sunday-scaries-are-real-why-ncna783186