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Weekend Depression (A Comprehensive Guide)

By OptimistMinds
Page last updated: 01/27/2023 | Next review date: 01/27/2025

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The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter.  The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.


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In this post, we are going to look at what Weekend Depression is, the causes, and how to cope with it.

What is Weekend Depression?

Weekend Depression occurs when you have the lowest levels of subjective well-being. Weekends are intended to be a change from all these difficulties, a moment to relax and unwind.

Often weekends can be a time when you don’t feel comfortable, either emotionally or financially. Browsing Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat will evoke these negative emotions more. Sometimes these “great” “unreal” photos will contribute to your depressed mood.

Sure, there are things we still have to take care of, but all in all, we have far more leisure time than we’ve had in our working days. However, as it turns out, weekends may not be everyone’s favorite time of the week.

It could start creeping on you without you even realizing it. You’re focused on work, children, commitments, and events throughout the week. But when Friday or Saturday rolls in, you may tend to feel sad, depressed, or tired.

Why does one get Weekend Depression?

  • We’re missing structure. We also have our days scheduled throughout the week. Moving from job to job, from location to location, our days are complete, and we are in motion. Even if we don’t love our work, staying active will help keep our minds out of problems. We’re going to prefer not to make plans on weekends, particularly when we’re stressed. This lack of organization may make one feel more distressed.
  • We lack social interaction. Interactions can be more challenging when distressed. Wanting to do what’s familiar, we’re going to have a propensity to detach ourselves. If we don’t have to go to work, we often want to sleep or stay in, rather than spend quality time with others. Humans were meant for social interaction, and this seclusion over the weekend could raise the symptoms of depression.
  • We’re comparing ourselves with others. When we are stressed, we mostly have no power or eagerness to do the things we used to cherish. When we start comparing our depressed lives to the lives of others on the go, who are outgoing, and who are doing all the things we had been doing, we can feel much more miserable.

How to cope with Weekend Depression?

  • Build a plan for the weekend-long in advance. 

Bring order to your weekend so you’ll have things to look forward to and little time to let your mind drift. Even carrying out things such as eating breakfast, showering, and buying in a grocery store will provide you a sense of achievement and improve mood.

  • Prepare social interaction strategies. Although it might be enticing to stay in and detach, this strategy may do more damage than good. Start making plans to be outgoing before you get to the weekend. If you’re depressed, you’re probably not up to having a party, so get to know where you are. Invite friends to get some drinks. 
  • Know your weakness.

If you encounter exhaustion red flags, know to pay attention. It is time to sit back and savour the benefits of the weekend.

  • About expectations, be frank.

Such expectations can weaken our ability to let go, often presented as dreams. Worse, leave us feeling disappointed with ourselves when we eventually give in to our need for relaxation.

  • Understand your threshold

Extrovert or Introvert? The trick is to know where you fall on the spectrum to remember what you need to do to regain your strength when you are tired. If you have a week full of social contact beyond your comfort bubble (i.e., an extrovert at an isolated office job or an introvert engaging in face-to-face interactions), in need of realignment, prepare to hit the weekend.

  • Practice Gratitude

You take two minutes every morning to get up and practice gratitude. Start listing three to five items that you are grateful for in your life in your head. More positive feelings can be experienced by people who consistently practice gratitude by spending the effort to acknowledge and think about the things they’re grateful for.

  • Be soft on yourself,

Most importantly, be gentle with yourself. Don’t press too much on yourself and function within your boundaries. Note this is about growth; give yourself a new target or obstacle each weekend, but take your time. 

It is essential to speak to your physician or call a specialist if you feel a bit down for more than two weeks and start to despise the weekend.

Go around and do five things for someone. These can be little things, like holding a door open and waving at someone, collecting something they’re dropping, helping them reach something in the shop, nothing big; however, when they respond to your action, you’ll notice how you feel. It’s going to feel amazing. Such good experiences strengthen the serotonin required to shake up the depression. Aid them if you know of somebody who wants assistance with something.

Right now, you may not have the funds or time to completely invest in whatever they are, but you can get online and enter discussion groups and talk with people who share the enthusiasm. They could be stuff that you’d never thought of being involved in.

In your brain, this excitement often starts up serotonin and creates optimism.

Bad days will not last forever, and the weekend will come to a close inevitably.

By implementing various strategies, you can manage, regulate, and resolve these feelings.

Either way, there is plenty that you can do to support yourself if your condition is worse than mere “weekend blues.”

Conclusion

In this article, we looked at what was Weekend Depression, the causes, and how to cope with it.

FAQ: Weekend Depression

At which time of day is a depressed mood likely to be at its worst?

It refers to the reality that clinical symptoms of depression will fluctuate overtime during the day. This is typically worse in the morning hours. However, some people notice that, in the afternoon or the evening, their mood plummets sometimes.

Why am I in a bad mood in the morning?

A 2013 study showed that people battling depression also have circadian cycles that are interrupted. One of the primary causes of morning depression is this disturbance. Your body is working on an inner 24-hour clock that makes you feel sleepier at night and more active and responsive during the day.

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