Why Are Sundays So Melancholic?
Sundays mean a lot to many people. It is a day that many dread because of the emotions it evokes in them. For others, however, the last day of the week is an opportunity to recharge their batteries and exist in the present.
Many people worry about Sundays. The day in question overwhelms us with nostalgia and truth. In some ways, it’s as if Sunday slaps 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 shows us what we do not want to think about. Like opening a drawer we tried to close all week. But in an almost magical way, the box always opens on Sunday; a moment to open up and let go of everything we did not want to feel.
On the other hand, Sundays are a bit of a paradox because we are often the most tired that day. We wonder how in the world we will be able to start the week like this. But we are still tired on Sunday because we have a different schedule on the weekends. These changes make our bodies feel a little unbalanced. Sometimes it’s because we rest too much or because of the adjustment from the rest of the week’s stress.
Sundays make us think about life without distracting or preventing us from reflecting. This is your life, this is where you are. It is like being stripped naked and left defenseless for an uncertain future. On Monday, we put on our work clothes, literally and figuratively. We will distract ourselves from Sunday’s melancholy when we start work.
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 helps to build our society. A society full of people who are afraid of the moment when their lives are revealed for what it is. People who, paradoxically, are terrified of freedom.
Erich Fromm pointed out this situation in his work “The Fear of Freedom” (1941). Here he emphasizes this interesting paradox between wanting freedom and at the same time being afraid of the responsibility it comes with. If I am free, then I am fully responsible for my existence and my choices. This abyss that I have to invent myself in causes intense anxiety, uneasiness and insecurity.
We feel an emptiness filled with melancholy. It’s a melancholy that pops up during this scary day at the end of the week. Sundays are a form of limbo between what we are in society (our work role) and who we are at heart. It puts our fundamental loneliness right in front of us. The loneliness we do not want to see.
Sometimes we push away our loneliness by searching for some form of company ; all in order not to be alone. Because when we are alone, we feel the melancholy well up. We do everything in our power to avoid these feelings. Maybe we sleep all day or spend time with people whose company does not do much for us. Or we’re just trying to keep busy.
Many people who are dependent on their work can not cope with the thought of going a whole day without working. A day without work would mean that they have to confront the truth about who they are and how they escape from themselves.
Frenetic activity fills us with life because we are busy and feel useful. However, it also takes us away from who we really are. It creates distance between us and our loneliness as well as unease.
Work helps us avoid melancholy and the anxiety that appears on Sundays. Everything we tried to hide eventually comes out when we least expect it. This is why it is important to take an honest look at what is happening on the inside. Otherwise we will be incapable of making the best of what we try not to see.
It is logical to feel that way on Sundays. Coming back from a trip the day before the hectic 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, which occur abruptly and / or repeatedly. Listening to, embracing and accepting our anxiety and melancholy will make it more bearable and definitely more rewarding.
