Tell Me Why I Don’t Like Mondays

I’ve got a case of the Monday Blues. I think it’s becoming a chronic condition because it seems to be happening every week.

What is it? The Monday Blues are when you feel down at the beginning of the work week. You may feel agitated, anxious, or just have a looming sense of dread about Monday morning.

And it feels worse when coming back from a long weekend or vacation.

While the Monday Blues isn’t an actual medical condition, it’s a real thing and quite common. A quick Google search will turn up hundreds of articles about this topic.

So what causes it?

· Job satisfaction or burnout. If you find yourself “living for the weekend” like the Loverboy song, you may want to take a look at your current job and project load. Even if you love your job, you can still feel burned out if you’re taking on too much or facing stressors that are out of your control.

· Overthinking. If you’re constantly worried about an upcoming presentation or workload, it’s hard to not think about it over the weekend. You may replay every interaction or conversation you had with a difficult coworker or boss. This type of overanalyzing doesn’t allow you to disconnect from work and truly enjoy your weekend, so you never feel fully rested to start the week.

· Lack of sleep. Seems obvious, but going hard over the weekend may leave you less than refreshed to start the work week. Keeping a consistent sleep schedule (or as close to possible) will have a tremendous impact on how you feel Monday morning.

How to beat the Monday Blues:

· Keep up with self-care. Most people use the weekends as the time to run errands, take a quick weekend trip, or unwind with a few drinks. But self-care doesn’t have to start on Friday night and end on Sunday night. Take care of yourself throughout the week and schedule little breaks, like the salon or massage, to help keep the good vibes going all week long.

· Don’t overschedule your Monday. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed when you have a ton of meetings or a packed schedule after coming back from the weekend. Whenever possible, try to avoid scheduling meeting or big task deadlines on Monday. Spread things throughout the week to keep a more even productivity schedule.

· Reframe your thoughts. Instead of dreading Monday morning and your endless to-do list, make Mondays your day to do something nice for someone else. Shift your mindset from dread to delight by making someone else’s day brighter (pay for a stranger’s coffee, send a co-worker a nice “thank you”, text a friend and give them a pep talk to face their day, etc.). You’ll smile more by helping others feel better.

So while there’s no “cure” for the Monday Blues, there are several ways you can help make the weekend transition less stressful.

What do you do to help get ready for the work week? Share in the comments below!