Are You a Weekend Warrior?

The routine of the week is thrown off gear by our weekend schedules or rather, lack of it. Most people are 8216;weekend warriors8217;8212;they pile up washing, cleaning, shopping, socialising and even punishing exercise regimes for the weekend. The result: The body is already crav-ing for relief by Monday.

8216;8216;Ideally, people should rest during the weekend and feel fresh on Monday. But week-ends are no longer associated with resting. The sleep-wake cycle is disturbed as people stress themselves out during the weekend,8217;8217; says Delhi-based psychiatrist Dr Avdhesh Sharma.

Monday blues are common in the cities, where people strive to balance work with leisure and professional commitments with personal ones. Says Dr Monica Chib, consul-tant psychiatrist, Apollo Hospital, Delhi: 8216;8216;Mon-day blues depend a lot on your attitude to-wards work. Do you treat it as a chore or does it give you pleasure? The blues are stronger in people who hate their work.8221;

So, are some people more prone to Monday blues than others? 8216;8216;It could be anybody. How-ever, generally, people who are overworked and overstressed, and those who don8217;t have time for themselves are the most vulnerable ones,8217;8217; concedes Dr Sharma. But, relax. There are ways to kick the blues. To begin with, find out the factors that stress you out and work on them. For some, it may be the traffic snarls. They could avoid it by simply starting early. Also, do not leave any work unfinished on Fri-day. Your mind should be free of office worries during the weekend.

More than altering behaviour or schedules, say experts, it8217;s a change of attitude that is needed. 8216;8216;We counsel people to look at work as something positive. We encourage them to think that the week holds new promises,8217;8217; ex-plains Dr Chib. But if the blues still persist, grin and bear it. There8217;s always the weekend.

FEROZE GUJRAL ENTREPRE-NEUR: The blues don8217;t hit me much. If they ever do, I expend energy on physical activities like swimming or working out. That helps me a lot.

CYRUS SAHUKAR VJ: Dur-ing my school days, we used to have a weekly test every Monday. I have dreaded Mondays since then. But now, I wake up and say, this is my day.

AMRITA ARORA ACTOR: I love my Sundays with a vengeance. I spend it in the most leisurely manner and always wish it could last forever, instead of being followed by Mondays.

PRASOON JOSHI ADGURU: I inevitably stay up late on Sundays and getting up early the next day is de-pressing. On Mondays, I try to spend time with people I like, who energise me.

NINA MANUEL MODEL: As Sunday draws to a close, I get a sinking feeling. But, there8217;s nothing one can do to beat the blues. Just deal with it with your chin up and party on Monday night.

HARSHA BHOGLE CRICKET COMMENTATOR: Monday blues are natural for people who love their Sundays with a passion. It8217;s the same feeling one gets when a va-cation ends.

ARCHANA PURAN SINGH ACTOR: I spend Mondays fantasising about the next weekend. I remind myself that there are just four more days to go for Saturday. That cheers me up.

KEN GHOSH DIRECTOR: Monday blues are part of everyone8217;s subconscious. It8217;s something one carries from school. But, I love my work and hence, Mondays are not as dreadful.