Feel exhausted on Saturdays

Goose76

Just wondering if anyone else has experience with this.

It’s not a big issue so If this is more suited to After Hours, please move.

I am lucky enough to lead a happy, fulfilled life. I have a great relationship with my partner (who I live with), a good job, hobbies I’m devoted to and good relationships with friends and family.

I’m fairly busy during the week. My job is fairly stressful and I excercise a fair bit which I love but it takes it out of me. I have a tendency to worry and stress about the future a bit and worry/obsess about things more than I should, although meditation helps with this. I usually socialise at least one weeknight a week (soberly) as well. I also try really hard (perhaps a bit too obsessively) to save money for a deposit, eat and cook healthily and keep on top of housework and I find myself being a bit intense and rigid about these things sometimes.

During the week I’m reallt happy and fairly relaxed despite the above things. Sunday’s are always great and by the time Saturday afternoon and night come around all is well.

But it seems that consistently, I wake up on Saturday mornings feeling shattered. I feel like every negative thought and anxiety you could think of takes over and I really feel awful. Exhausted and sometimes with headaches. It sounds so pathetic to say it but I’m happier on Monday mornings than Saturday mornings mostly. As I said, by Saturday evening I’m usually fine but Saturday mornings I’m so tense, stressed and generally feel really low.

I’m wondering if anyone else experiences this? Is this normal for young professionals (no kids btw)? I didn’t want to post this for a while as I know there are people way, way, waaaay busier than me out there and I’m usually so happy the rest of the week but this Saturday morning it was so bad I felt I had to ask for advice.

I stress about random stuff like housework to be done to what I’ll do on the weekend to worrying about minor things that happened during the week that I hadn’t had a chance to process yet. I also can’t bear to me around my partner at this time even though I love being with him the rest of the time

seamus

As much as I don't want to tout a "quick fix", I will relate my experience when I was younger;

I too for a few months would wake up on Saturdays feeling groggy, completely apathetic and often foggy and experiencing headaches, despite being completely sober and sitting in the previous night. I won't say I felt anxious or emotionally low, but I certainly didn't feel like I wanted to do anything.

I discovered the issue was surprisingly simple: I was getting up for work five days a week at whatever time, 7:30 or 8, but on Saturdays it might be 10, even 11. As great as a lie-in is, that extra couple of hours was leaving me feeling dehydrated and suffering caffeine withdrawals. In work, I'd have been up and had breakfast and coffee by 9am. And incredibly when this routine wasn't being followed on Saturdays, my body was complaining. I had a tendency to skip breakfast or at least not have it until I felt ready. So it might not be until the afternoon that I'd have eaten and had a cup of coffee and the fog would lift.

So I started making an effort to get up when I woke up - i.e. not lounging around in bed for an extra hour after waking, and stick on the kettle and have breakfast once I was downstairs, even if it was just a bowl of cereal or something.

Pretty instant improvement. Obviously that's just my personal experience, but if any of that resonates with you, it's worth giving a shot.

It's not an issue any more because I have kids so I get up at the same time every day regardless of whether it's a work day or a weekend.

fineso.mom

Its funny, i just realised a few months ago that this was happening to me too. Saturday was the only day i could have a lie in,but i would wake up groggy and grumpy and it would take me hours to feel ok. No such issues on Sundays when I'd be up early to go walking with a friend. Id have a 5 mile walk done and be home for 9 o clock full of energy. So I stopped the lie ins,get up around 8 and have a coffee ,have breakfast at ten same as at work and feel much better for it.

Goose76

Thanks so much. I will try tomorrow to stick to a more “normal” sleep and food routine and see how that goes.

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Goose76

Guys, thank you all so much for the above.

I got up early this morning and stuck to my usual weekday morning routine which I do before I leave the house for work each day, in the same order and at the same speed as I do on weekday mornings. Shower, meditation, makeup, etc.

I then just headed out to the shop and for a coffee and had breakfast at the same time I usually do in work and ate the same breakfast as well.

I feel on top of the world!!!

The advice given really made perfect sense to me as I am a very regimented person and it definitely makes sense that the sudden lack of that regime on Saturdays was probably getting me down.

It’s extra comforting today as I was out for a while last night and had a few drinks so should be feeling tired and cranky but I really feel great. Hopefully this is the start of a small but significant change.

Thanks so much again.

fineso.mom

Ah thats great OP. Its mad how something simple can have such a good effect. I meant to say in my other post that I treat myself to an extra early night sometimes. Kind of like a lie in before i go to sleep. I never feel like Im missing out on one then.

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