To most people, Monday is that time of the week where we decide everything- from the amount of workload and the projects that need to be done. It is the day of planning, decision making, and setting the environment. As it is the first day, people are expected to be refreshed, energized, and productive but somehow it is not always the case. Most of us carry residual hangovers from the days before (weekend) and it often results in what we call Monday Blues.
After having a short break during the weekend, people tend to have less energy during the next day. Most of the time they feel demotivated, frustrated, or even lack the energy and joy to open up the week. Everyone possibly went through a situation where they are forcing themselves to get out of bed and get ready to work- and sometimes it doesn’t matter whether they love their job.
Monday Blues is often due to stress or anxiousness that comes with planning the week- with thinking of what is to come. This also happens to senior executives and once it does, sometimes inspiring and leading their team becomes hard.
How do we get past Monday Blues? What are the things we should do or consider when welcoming the week ahead?
Here are some tips or ways to avoid feeling blue during Mondays.
Relax and Enjoy the Weekend
Everyone is excited for weekends to come but oftentimes our mind is still off to work. Most of the time we worry about the things that we should do for the upcoming week- what tasks to finish or what to begin with. This causes some to become restless over the weekend and the stress is carried over the next day. In order to maintain a work-life balance, try to relax and enjoy your time off. This may be a luxury for some or sometimes not possible, but allow yourself to be energized over your time off as much as possible. Feeling unsatisfied with your break is one reason for Monday Blues.
Avoid Living for the Weekend
It is normal to find weekends exciting but if you are living just for it, that is a different topic and again causes Monday Blues. If one doesn’t feel happy and excited during weekdays, it will surely affect the way they work and their production. Weekends shouldn’t be the only time we feel happy, because it only means that there is a problem at work. So, don’t only look forward to Saturday and Sunday, instead, always try your best to be positive throughout the week.
Have Something to Look Forward To
Having a 9-5 job doesn’t always mean that you can get off to work early or on time. Sometimes jobs require you to stay up late or work overtime and this causes some to have an imbalanced work-life. Most of the time we are just thinking of deadlines and all we look forward to is submitting or finishing a project- which is good, but too much is not healthy. Always make sure that you have something to look forward to aside from work. Look forward to spending time with your family, your kids, or if you are a fur-parent- your pets. Maybe unwinding with your friends- sipping some of that red wine to release stress. No matter what you do, look for something that will help you relax.
What Do You Like Doing?
Working doesn’t entirely mean doing your job- it is essential, yes, but working also means that you keep on challenging yourself and learning. Amidst doing your job, you will experience hiccups along the way- challenges, hurdles, or problems but at the end of the day, you’ll bring results like none of that bothered you. These are all exciting and such, but once you lose the joy and excitement you once felt, it should be a sign to you that there is a problem. To get through this, list the things you love about your job and why it excites you. Talk to your boss on how you can both work through it while having continuous progress on both ends- for the company and your career.
Get Things Ready by Friday
Planning things can also be time-consuming and sometimes frustrating- especially during the beginning of the week. If it is possible, get things ready by the end of the week- by Friday. In this way, when Monday comes, one thing is already of your shoulders. It will lessen your anxiety and get other things done.
Dress for Success
What you wear affects how you work. It helps you boost your confidence, gives you energy, and makes you feel great all in all. The best part of dressing up is that it gives you that boost to work gracefully throughout the day. Aside from making you comfortable, it also makes you feel like a boss. So start your day by dressing up nicely, to give you that extra glow and energy.
Take a Break
Working 8 hours a day or more is truly tiring at times- even when you are having fun. Having burnouts is inevitable sometimes and in order to at least help with that take a 5-10 minutes break once in a while. When it is time to eat your lunch, go and do that. Because tiring yourself too much, isn’t going to get things done faster.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleeping and waking up early are very important in avoiding Monday Blues. When you get enough sleep at night and start your day right, you will have a better way of welcoming the day. Thus, making you more productive and happy.
Reward Yourself
Before the week ends, reward yourself a little something to commemorate all that you have accomplished throughout the week. It doesn’t have to be grand or expensive, just something that you enjoy doing or maybe a small treat. In a little way, you can make yourself feel good and happy.
Ask Yourself Why You are Feeling Blue
The most important thing to do is to ask yourself why you are feeling blue. Is it because you are exhausted, stressed, or unhappy? Do you still like what you are doing? It is easy to feel demotivated if you are not liking what you are doing. Maybe you do not feel challenged the way you did when you started or maybe somehow you feel that it is time to move forward.
In addition, we should feel excited to go to work and if we don’t like what we do, we always have three choices:
- Stay and accept
- Stay and try to change the situation
- Leave
Monday Blues can be a sign of job dissatisfaction and if this feeling occurs often, maybe it is time for one to take the risk and find something that challenges them- something that will help them grow and that can make them happy.
CONCLUSION
Get through your day with positive emotions. There is no better way than to start the week with good vibes and excitement. It might seem hard to avoid Monday Blues but with the right amount of determination, one will be able to start the week the way they want it to. When you feel like the anxiety is starting to creep in, look around you and carefully assess what you can do to push it back. Look at your team, co-worker, or even your boss and what you can do to help each other. Most importantly, always take care of yourself. Find out what you really want and do what you think is best for you. Always remember that Mondays are blue, only if you choose so.
