Everyone feels stressed about work sometimes, but this feeling becomes a bit more permanent for people who are really unhappy with their job.
That’s the kind of person who is likely to experience what’s known as the “Sunday Fear,” or… anticipatory anxiety about what they will encounter when they walk into the office on Monday. This is used quite often these days, but it is still a very real feeling.
You can tell how miserable someone is at work by the little things they start to dread on Sunday nights, whether it’s the morning commute or the big workload. So employees who feel like their job is exhausting them and making them anxious are naturally going to feel very uncomfortable on Sunday evening when they think about going back to work the next day.
You can tell how miserable someone is at work by looking at 10 little things they dread on Sunday evenings
1. Waking up in the morning
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Some people feel a wave of worry as soon as their alarm goes off cortisol levels even increase when you wake up. But if you repeatedly experience a sense of dread at the mere thought of having to set your alarm and get ready for Monday morning, it’s more likely a sign that you would do anything to get out of work.
As uncomfortable as it may be, fear is a natural human emotion that everyone experiences. Even people who love their work will probably have the occasional premonition when he thinks about getting up and getting ready on Monday morning. When this becomes a pattern, a person becomes so miserable at work that their body rebels against the idea of returning.
2. An overwhelming workload
Few people are lucky enough to do something they enjoy at work, so it’s normal to feel like you don’t want to deal with a long to-do list, especially after a refreshing weekend. Someone who is truly overwhelmed by the work they have to do in a way that feels all-consuming may blame their negative feelings about their work on their workload.
There is so much work to do that it is exhausting and difficult to keep track of it one of the fastest ways to get burned out. If you’re already thinking about your tasks for the coming week on Sunday evening, you’re dangerously close to your limit.
3. Commuting to the office
Sitting in traffic on your way to and from work every day is a near-universal dislike, especially now that so many people have had the opportunity to work remotely for at least a temporary period. The length of an employee’s commute is that are directly related to how they feel about their workso it makes sense that he can throw freely all day long.
A long commute to work feels like a waste of time, but if you’re dreading it that far in advance, you probably have more on your mind than just the car or train ride. Commuting to a job you can’t stand is actually an opportunity to pause and think about how terrible the job is, so it’s not something a miserable worker will enjoy.
4. An inbox full of emails
It’s pretty disappointing to show up at a job you don’t like and be greeted by a barrage of unread emails that need to be read and responded to. Most people open work emails almost as soon as they receive them so they don’t have to worry about them anymore, which proves how overwhelming they can be when they pile up in your inbox.
In this case, though, Sunday night anxiety about new emails is more likely an indication that you feel like your job is generally too demanding. Emails are annoying, but not the end of the world, so if you take them so seriously there’s a bigger problem.
5. Dealing with difficult colleagues
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From team members to bosses, some coworkers are more pleasant than others, as is the case with people you meet anywhere. Knowing that there is someone you don’t really get along with, who you have to deal with every day at work, is frustrating and difficult for anyone to face.
Obviously, we can’t choose the people we work with, so it’s best to find a way to get through these situations with as little pain as possible. This means often keep your distance from that colleague as much as you can. If you’re still obsessively worried about it, that might not be the right job for you.
6. Attending unnecessary meetings
Few people claim to actually enjoy work meetings, but there’s something particularly bad about having meetings on a regular basis encounters that didn’t actually have to happen not at all. Many employees feel like their time can be spent in better, more productive ways Managers are not always good at leading meetings despite having a leadership role.
Annoying meetings are something to laugh and roll your eyes at, but dreading these meetings well in advance shows that you’re generally unhappy at work. Even the most frustrating meetings are just one small aspect of a job, so fixating on them means it’s not the only problem.
7. Handling complaints from clients or customers
If a job has anything to do with the public, you are sure to get your fair share of complaints from customers or clients. Some will probably be so bizarre that you’ll laugh, but the rude ones can be hard to swallow.
Some companies actually operate a “customer-obsessed” business model, meaning they always puts the customer first and make it a priority to give them the best experience possible. Since customers and clients are the ones who keep the business running, this is a good strategy, but it’s also easy to go too far and let logic get in the way.
Whether your employer is customer-oriented or not, being so focused on complaints is a sign of unhappiness and dissatisfaction. If you really enjoyed your job, it would be easier for you to shake off that negativity and keep doing the work you believe in. Feeling fear is a bad sign.
8. Always trying to achieve impossible goals
Employees try to achieve many different goals at work. They must impress their boss while staying on top of deadlines and avoiding mistakes. Goals can be a good thing and keep you motivated if they are achievable, but achieving goals that are not within your reach can be discouraging.
According to one study published in Frontiers in PsychologyFailing to achieve a goal can make people feel less confident and less willing to try other new things in the future. Of course, if you’re always trying to achieve an impossibly perfect standard, you also run the risk of burnout. If you feel the weight of these things too intensely, it could mean that your work is making you really miserable.
9. The feeling of being stuck in a monotonous routine
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Having a solid routine is usually a good thing to keep you on track, but it can also have the opposite effect. When you do the same thing every day, it can be easy to feel like you’re stuck in a rut. Do something to change your routine a little can be very helpful when that happens.
It’s easy to see how following the same monotonous structure every day can make you feel this way, but work often forces people to do that. If you really feel like you’re reliving the same day repeatedly and losing sight of your goal, it means you definitely need a change, and that could include your job.
10. Thinking about how long it will be before their next break
Getting ready to go back to work after a really fun weekend is tough for anyone, and it would be normal to remind yourself that you just have to get through five days before you get another break as a way to keep yourself going. However, feeling like you’re living through weekends, vacations, or vacations can be a sign that you’re seriously unhappy.
Mindfulness researcher Catherine Cook-Cottone said it’s understandable to “feel pressure to make the weekend perfect” because it’s one of the few times when you can freely choose how to spend your weekend. But an obsession with the weekend, or even the feeling of fear that you won’t spend that free time in the best way possible, means your mind is trying to escape the weekday reality that is work.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism, covering news, psychology, lifestyle and human interest topics.
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