Does anyone else wake up on Saturday after WFT week and tries to recall if they have been run over last night?

[LoopingTwice]

I am fit and healthy 47 YO woman, on HRT, exercising 5 days a week, full spectrum diet, hydration, no health issues or any other stresses. Office job, senior management, so decisions fatigue but also setting my own agenda for the day. I am full of energy and drive all week. Every Saturday I wake up feeling battered, and it takes a slow morning to recover to feel OK by lunchtime. I often have an afternoon nap. On Sunday I am back to Duracell bunny mode. I have tried a glass of wine to unwind on Friday, and no alcohol, bath or a walk. It’s much like for like, Saturday morning everything aches and the mood is low. I guess when DC was young, I was too busy to notice. Just wondered if anyone else feels like this and if you have found anything that helps? Anything to do in a week differently?

I would lean into it, your body is obviously tired after a hectic week and needs to rest.

Doesn't sound as if it's anything to worry about if you're back to normal the following day?

You may well be burnt out but during the week you're producing enough stress hormones to mask it. When was your last proper holiday?

@Maomee 4 weeks ago and March before then. Plenty of breaks, in April I was made redundant and now 3 weeks in another similar job. During 3 months off in between jobs, I didn’t have this Saturday wipe out, so it is work related.

It could be something to do with your current role then, is there anything you don't like about your job or find particularly difficult in any way? Or maybe the after effects of being made redundant and the stress of finding a new job? Sometimes things like that only before symptomatic later on when you start processing it from a place of safety.

Alternatively you could have an underlying condition or deficiency that may show up on blood tests etc.

If you're exercising five days a week, isn't Saturday your first true Rest Day? It's absolutely normal for your muscles to be feeling a bit battered when you haven't given them a chance to repair all the microtears from 4+ separate sessions.

That doesn't mean there's anything wrong. It might be helpful to switch to a more active recovery based session on Thursday/Friday so you're already 50% there before Saturday morning and could reduce the chances of overtraining - symptoms of which include disturbed sleep, lower mood, muscle pain above bog standard DOMS and tiredness.

What I did was switch things up with something like Pilates, yoga or swimming for the last weekday session instead of the highest intensity things.

I’m a wheelchair user with a disabling chronic disease. I work full time in a senior management position. I do work from home though.
Saturday morning I bounce out of bed and on to a train into London to see a show and have a nice lunch with friends. Every week.
Perhaps you should get a health check up just to make sure there’s not something wrong that is making you over tired.

I do not exercise on Friday after work, too tired. I love the new job and I was ambivalent about the last one. This feeling is probably normal recovery, I was curious if anyone else has found a solution, everyone must feel some degree of tiredness after a full on week. Perhaps, lean in is the answer.

New jobs are stressful, even if you love it. Try to slow down a tiny bit during the working day and make sure you take a proper lunch break.

I used to be like this. Weekends would be a write off. But started prioritising rest during the week too, so I’ll start work later on a Weds and Friday and get some early nights. I go to bed early on a weekend if I’m tired rather than just staying up watching tv for the sake of it. I’m now up and out for a swim or similar 8am most Saturday mornings whereas I’d often sleep in till midday previously

Standard here. Both DH and I are teachers so we literally recover on a Saturday and then work again to catch up/prep for week ahead on Sundays. I do get envious of people who just relax and have fun all weekend. For us, the weekend is just a chance to catch breath before we go again and it isn't until a good week or two into the school holidays that we actual feel like we are operating like 'normal'. I don't even have the energy to exercise beyond one pilates session a week -which is very much needed.

I am exactly the same. Senior job, very pressured, feel exhausted Friday nights and Saturday mornings (still in bed now!). I take it as my body telling me it needs to recharge. And that I’m getting old….

I wake up on a Saturday and go into work in a supermarket and sometimes cry on the way in because I feel like that. One day I said I wish I could collapse or something just so I could catch a break. I think with me it’s fairly sleep related- dc are teens and I want to spend time with them at night sometimes after working late so go to bed too late. I don’t want them to see me on my phone so I doom scroll into the wee hours. Sorry am no help op but hope you catch a break x

DOMS takes a couple of days to hit - which ties in with your Thursday session and feeling OK again by Sunday with some proper rest.

Maybe ease off a bit on Thursday?

@LoopingTwice its the sudden adrenaline drop; adrenaline is basically fight or flight

so Saturday morning is back to zero as you have no plans to “fight”on a Saturday

im exactly same situation like you, I actually have two full time jobs in parallel (I’m contractor so temporarily two clients in parallel and going nuts ) .. so all very normal !

if it’s hard to deal with you might need to either find a way to slow down Friday afternoon so the transition is smooth or perhaps plan to do some minor work (anything) on Sat morning 😶

I’ve realised I need to relax more in the week as I get older. Need a rest day after exercising or just a walk 8nstead. Have one day wfh so I can ease into work.