Beat the Monday Morning Blues

After a long, relaxing weekend, you may find waking up on Monday morning difficult. In a rush to be on time, you're tripping out of bed to make coffee, stumbling into work clothes, and skimming through emails on your phone from your boss demanding a file now, as the realization hits you that it's Monday again. Alternatively, maybe you stay home with your kid or go to school, but you still find yourself dreading Mondays. Monday morning blues are a real problem, but you can help take the sting out of Mondays by making your workplace better, planning ahead, and taking care of yourself.

Steps

Making Your Work a Better Place to Be

1. Find the issue. If you're feeling down on Monday morning, it's likely because you're not a fan of your work. Maybe it's the job itself, or maybe it's the people you work with. Take some time to think about what really bothers you about your job by brainstorming for a period. Write down the issues that are really bothering you.
   • Of course, this principle applies no matter what situation you're in. Maybe you dread Monday because you're a student, and you don't like the degree you're pursuing. Maybe you're a stay-at-home parent who needs to make a few changes to make your life a little better.
   • You could write things such as, "I don't feel challenged," "I don't like it when my ideas aren't heard," or "I feel overwhelmed."
2. Look at your workload. If you dread Monday morning because of the workload you have facing you, you may need to talk to your boss. Maybe your workload has increased to a point where you can't keep your usual standards. If your boss is reasonable, he or she may be able to adjust what you are doing, or at the very least, adjust the quality that he or she expects.
   • Before going in, understand how your boss operates. Maybe she plays it by the numbers, or maybe he's more driven by emotional appeals. Whatever the case, know what works best before walking in, and have your appeal planned out. If your boss is more interested in numbers, maybe you can compare the number of cases or emails you're dealing with now to a year ago to show the increase. For someone more emotional, talk about the effect it's having on your family.
   • If you're a student, consider dropping a class if it won't affect your financial aid. If you're continually stressed out, you're coursework will suffer. Dropping a class will allow you to focus more time on your other classes.
   • As a stay-at-home parent, maybe you can schedule more time for yourself by picking a once-a-week daycare. In fact, many churches and other organizations have parent's day out programs to give parents a break.
3. Check to see if you're being challenged. If you're doing the same thing over and over, you may find you've settled into a routine where you're bored out of your mind. To help get you over the hump, ask your boss if you can have some more challenging work. Your boss will be impressed, and you'll find your job more satisfying.
   • Try asking in this way: "I've been feeling like much of my work is the same lately. I was wondering if I could try something a little different to spice things up."
   • If you're a student, consider taking a class that is well outside your major, just to offer a different challenge.
   • If you're a stay-at-home parent, maybe you need to spice up your life a bit by taking a class at a community college or starting a book club with friends.
4. Take a look at your relationships. If you aren't getting along with specific co-workers, ask yourself what the problem is. Trying being a little nicer to them to draw out their happier side. If you have a big issue co-worker, don't be afraid to have a calm, sit-down chat with him or her about the issue. If that still doesn't work, ask your boss for assistance.
   • Be as non-confrontational as possible when talking to co-workers. For instance, you wouldn't want to say, "Why are you so hateful?" However, you might say something along these lines: "I've noticed that I sometimes seem to upset you. What can I do to help the situation?" By turning it back on yourself, it will be less upsetting to the other person, but you're still putting it out there to start a dialogue.
   • Sometimes Monday morning blues may have nothing to do with what's happening on Monday, but rather, what's going on over the weekend to make you upset. Maybe your relationships are stalling or making you unhappy, and that unhappiness is lasting to Monday morning. Take some time to talk to the people you care about to make sure you are both ok.
5. Bring the fun with you. Surprise your co-workers with a freshly baked batch of cookies. Ask your boss if you can host a chili cook-off some Monday at lunch. Invite your co-workers out to lunch. Make your Mondays more enjoyable, and you'll look forward to them more.

Being Prepared

1. Look ahead at the end of the week. On Friday afternoon, you want to get out of the office or school, and you might leave some loose ends undone. However, if you take some time on Friday to tie up what needs done for the week, you won't have it hanging over your head come Monday morning. Don't leave what you hate for Monday. Similarly, take a look at your schedule so you know what's ahead for the week.
   • For instance, if you need to see financial aid about a problem, go ahead and get it done on Friday. Don't wait until Monday.
   • Similarly, if you have meet with a client you don't particularly like dealing with, go ahead and see him or her on Friday rather than leaving it to the next week.
   • As a parent, maybe you want to schedule a fun outing on Monday and finish up some of the housework on Fridays to be ready for the weekend.
2. Focus on what is good. Don't just look at what you need to do that you hate. Look at what you enjoy doing, and focus on that. For instance, maybe you hate cold-calling people. Try to put that out of your mind, and focus on the fact that you get to design a new header this week, if that's something you love doing.
   • Maybe you have a class that you just don't like. Focus instead on the classes you love, or try to find something you like in the class.
3. Adjust your attitude. Your problem with work may not be one that can be solved with any outside intervention. It may just take a change of heart on your end. If you look on your work as solely a chore to be pushed through, then you will continue to dread Mondays. You have to think of work as just another part of your life that has both its ups and downs like any other part.
   • Of course you love staying home with your kid because you love your kid. However, maybe you're finding you just don't like it, and you're still stuck in that situation for awhile. Focus on the good parts of staying at home to help change your attitude towards, such as getting to spend time with a great kid.
4. Have something to look forward to. Whether it's a simple dinner with your family or a post-work drink, always have a little reward at the end of the day on Mondays.

Practicing Self-Care

1. Keep work at work. Don't drag work home over the weekend if possible. The weekend should give you a break from work, not be a continuation of it. If you work over the weekend, your work weeks will run into each other, you'll start to experience burn out. Take a break to give yourself some time to regain your sanity.
2. Don't let work affect your interactions with family and friends. If you notice that you know more about your colleagues' lives than you do about your spouse's or friends' lives, you may be spending too much time at work. Take a step back, and commit to spending more time developing your relationships outside of work.
   • One way to accomplish this goal is to ask if you can work from home one day a week. You'll at least cut down on your commuting time, giving you some more time with your family.
   • The same holds true for school or for stay-at-home parents. You don't want your whole life to become school or your kids. You need your own life and sense of self outside of those parts of your life, despite how important they are.
3. Don't try to keep the weekend going. That is, go to bed early on Sunday night and make sure you ready yourself for the week ahead. You don't want to start the week by feeling tired or drowsy.
4. Don't ditch your sleep schedule. You know it's important to have a sleep schedule; it lets your body know when to be ready for bed and when to get up. You may be tempted to skip the schedule on the weekends, but that only throws your body clock off and makes you drowsy come Monday morning. Try to go to sleep and get up at about the same time on the weekends.
5. Put on something that makes you happy. Whether it's a new necktie or a sparkly pair of earrings, choose something to wear on Monday that makes you perk up.
6. Get your exercise. Exercise will naturally boost your mood and has the added benefit of helping you sleep better.

Watching for More Serious Issues

1. Look at your work environment. If your work environment makes you constantly upset because it's hostile or you just don't like your job, you may need to find yourself new employment where you can be happier. Maybe your workload is just too much. Start a job hunt now so that you can find something you love.
   • If you're unhappy in your degree program, maybe you need to change fields, or maybe you need to try something different altogether.
   • If you're really unhappy as a stay-at-home parent, maybe it's time to start thinking about alternatives, such as going to work.
2. Check for declining interest in other parts of your life. If you can't garner interest in any part of your life, that could be a sign of depression. Ask your doctor for more information.
3. See if you exhibit other signs of depression. Other signs may include general sadness, anxiety, fatigue, brain forgetfulness, and irritability. See your doctor if you're exhibiting these symptoms.

Tips

• Try tidying up a little bit before work. Set a load of laundry ready to go when you'll be back in the evening or sweep the kitchen floor. Cleaning up a bit will give you a feeling of satisfaction, helping to start your week out on the right foot.

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• Overcome the Post‐Vacation Blues
• Recover from Back to Work Blues
• Stop Feeling Worried About Going to School on Monday
• Beat Boredom on the Weekend
• Fight Winter Blues

Sources and Citations

See also

• Get out of Bed when You Really Can't
• Wake Up Easily
• Stay Awake When Tired
• Wake Up Early
• Get Up When You Want with Only a Few Hours of Sleep
• Wake Up Without an Alarm Clock
• Get Up in the Morning
• Feel Awake in the Morning
• Feel More Awake Without Coffee
• Wake up Quickly

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