My mood always plummets on my days off from work

[thestarsz]

I don't particularly enjoy my job but I like my colleagues. I spend 10 hours a day with my colleagues so we have lots of time to chat and bond.

After work I always feel really happy and bubbly and energised. Yet after a few hours of being at home my mood plummets and on days off I can physically feel my mood plummeting to a depressed kind of state. My default state on my days off is to stay in my PJs moping around the house feeling really down and depressed although I do force myself to get out and do things.

I have always been shy and presumed I was an introvert. What do you think causes my mood to plummet so drastically?

Is it the lack of purpose? I struggle to get motivated and hyped up on a day off too as it can all feel a bit lonely/pointless.

Dopamine. I'm an introvert and I think we are less likely than extoverts to seek dopamine rewards, but we do eventually. It may be that you need to recover from work but maybe planning an activity for the afternoon is good. Extroverts I have noticed thrive initially on their own then after a while plummet.

I think lack of purpose definitely has an impact, but I think the biggest impact is being around people.

I was finishing things up earlier knowing it's my last day this week and I caught myself feeling really sad and kind of lingering and stalling leaving so I could spend as much time with my colleagues as possible.

I get home and I have to phone someone or speak to someone so that I can chat and chat and chat, really animatedly almost like I'm on a high from a day at work.

Do you have a partner? It sounds like you are a bit lonely....

Not criticising btw - we’ve all been a bit lonely through lockdown!