If you could choose a day off from work, which day would you choose? For many persons, the answer would be Monday. While some people are excited about getting up and going to work on Mondays, there are those who begin to be sad about the prospect from as early as midday Sunday. Having a case of the Mondays as they are commonly called could stem from the fact that you are unhappy with your job or at least some aspects of it, that your weekends leave you exhausted, you have separation issues, or the Monday tasks or engagements are simply too daunting. You may be one of the many who trudge through Mondays and sometimes even spoil the day for your colleagues. You need help.
The first step in addressing the Monday blues is to think about the cause. Is the cause something you can change whether in the short term or long term? So, you do not like your job or some aspects of it, what are you doing to change that reality? Is it that you need to change your perspective? Could it be that you are part of the wrong crowd, the group that sees everything that is wrong, and which offers a thousand problems for every solution? Or are you being a martyr, suffering in silence without having the conversation with those that matter and who could change the situation? Have you made yourself so desperate that you are trapped in a job that you truly hate? Your actions or lack thereof could determine if your Monday blues are perpetual.
If your weekends leave you feeling exhausted so that when Monday comes all you want to do is rest, then you should adjust your schedule. The sad reality is that sometimes we spend weekends doing work that should be done at work, so it feels that work is a never-ending cycle. This practice can leave you even more mentally than physically fatigued. Or it could be that the weekend chores or the weekend fun activities leave you drained. Whatever it is that is going to cause you to have another of those Mondays, you need to change. If possible, do not open work emails on weekends, set boundaries about work related calls on weekends, do not entertain conversations about work on weekends. Unfortunately, some people get more work done on the weekend than they do after 5 days in the office; if this is so then you need to work on time and task management. If your weekends are so entertaining that they leave you frazzled, then you need to start tapering off from early Sunday so that you can get a good night’s sleep, so you are refreshed and ready for Monday.
Monday blues could be caused by separation issues. Sometimes it is as simple as not wanting to leave your home – the haven you have created, your favourite chill spot, your pet or your robe. Or it could be that going to work takes you away from your love ones – the new baby, your spouse, your parents, your children. Spending the weekend together would have cemented bonds, but then Monday comes, and you are away with barely enough time for a few minutes on the phone. It is even worse if work means not going back home for a few days. When the blues come, relive the memories and look forward to creating more.
Some tasks or engagements are just not for Mondays. As much as you can, do some of the heavy lifting from Friday. Try to keep your Monday schedule light. Use Monday to prepare for the other days. Plan something exciting to do at the end of each Monday; that way you have something to look forward to doing. Yes, those Monday meetings can be bothersome, a sure cause of the blues. Accept them as part of your reality, make suggestions about how to make them less mundane, participate in the discussions, air your grouses and offer solutions for improvements, showcase your ideas; you may find that the blues disappear.
Even when all else fail, dressing well, stepping out in confidence, remaining positive and being on top of your game will surely cure the blues. Have no fear, by Tuesday those Monday blues, will disappear.
