The “Sunday Blues”: a qualitative exploration of manifestations, contributing factors, and coping strategies among employees

Introduction Many employees experience a decline in mood as the weekend ends, often referred to in popular culture as the “Sunday Blues.” Despite its widespread recognition, the phenomenon remains scientifically underexplored and conceptually unclear. This study examined how the “Sunday Blues” manifests, which individual and contextual factors shape the experience, and how employees cope with it. Methods We conducted six focus groups with 26 employees in the Netherlands who frequently experienced, or had previously experienced, low moods in anticipation of the workweek. Before the focus groups, participants completed sensitization diary activities reflecting on their Sunday experiences and moods. The data were analyzed using template analysis. Results The findings revealed that the “Sunday Blues” is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon characterized by emotional, physical, cognitive, and behavioral manifestations, including anxiety, stress, fatigue, rumination, procrastination, and social withdrawal. Three categories of influencing factors emerged: triggers, such as unfulfilled weekend expectations and anticipated challenges at work; aggravators, such as work-life imbalance and job instability; and mitigators, such as autonomy and enthusiasm for ongoing work. Participants also described a wide range of coping strategies, including self-reward, intentional weekend planning, reducing upcoming demands, and resilience-building practices. Discussion The study clarifies the “Sunday Blues” as a multidimensional weekend-to-workweek transition experience that may be oriented both retrospectively toward the ending weekend and prospectively toward the approaching workweek. By organizing its manifestations, contributing factors, and coping strategies, the findings provide a conceptual foundation for future empirical research and intervention development.