'Sunday blues' are common malady, according to readers

Put on your shades and pick up your guitar. It's time to sing the blues.

The "Sunday blues," that is.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about people who feel "dread and apprehension" the day before they head back to work following a weekend. For some, the Sunday blues can make that supposed day of freedom far more stressful than a day at the office.

I confessed then that I've occasionally suffered a mild case of the Sunday blues, and I'm clearly not alone.

According to an unscientific poll included with that column, 48 percent of respondents said they get the Sunday blues every week, and 38 percent said they sometimes get such end-of-the-weekend anxiety.

The comments I received on that column were interesting, too, so I thought I'd share some of them this week.

Susan, who identified herself as a recently retired teacher, wrote in an email that she figured out one simple way to combat the Sunday blues.

"Opening work emails at home was like opening a can of worms," she wrote. "So I made a rule for myself to never open work emails on the weekend or holidays. As a teacher I found it hard to stop working when I walked out of my school, but on the weekends and holidays I did it and had fun with my family. I'm sure I was a better teacher because I tried to balance my two worlds."

There's that work/life balance issue again! Good tip, Susan.

Another commenter wrote that he also had trained himself to leave work at work.

"When I get a work-related call on Sunday, I tell the person on the other end that I'll handle it Monday," he wrote. "Little things like leaving my cell phone in the car when I go work out helps me to forget about the stress of work and all the constant demands. The ability to see that everything didn't collapse during my hour break has helped me to leave my work alone during the weekend. As I've learned to do this, I've become a much better dad, husband and (surprise, surprise) employee!"

It sounds ridiculous, but leaving the cell phone out of reach for a while can be a challenge for those of us who are used to being virtually tethered to the office. Breaking that constant link a step at a time is a great idea.

Several commenters also indicated that working for oneself might help relieve the Sunday blues.