3 simple ways to drive away the Monday blues

For most of us, the usual Monday blues start creeping in from Sunday itself. We spend the entire day or evening with thoughts, plans and activities that can help gear us up for a hectic Monday.

Ever thought what is so stressful about Mondays anyway? It means different things for different people, but the common underlying feeling is stress. From observation, I have found that the Monday blues broadly fall under these 3 key categories:

The weekend inertia 

I remember an ex-colleague telling me: “Just when I was beginning to unwind, my weekend got over!” Weekends, for most of us, are about de-stressing and focusing on activities that help us relax. In fact, sometimes it’s about doing nothing at all and simply lazing around. The desire is to disconnect from work pressure and get some ‘me time’ or ‘family time’. Monday being day one hits us like a reality check and hence feels like the harshest day of the week.

The anxiety of unexpected events

For some people, Monday is a day at work when new plans are made, new deadlines set and new steps taken. Hence, not knowing what to expect leads to stress as well.

The anxiety of too many expectations

Some people have too many plans and objectives to be met on Mondays. They know this day will set the pace for the week to come. Hence, Monday comes with the added pressure of starting it right and making sure everything goes as planned.

What are some of the things, then, that we can do to look forward to this day of the week?

1. The Friday planner

Set aside some time for yourself on Fridays to scribble ‘to-do’ notes for Monday. The more prepared you are, the less anxiety-prone you will be. It’s always a good practice to check on tasks that need to be completed in the coming week and accordingly frame a plan on how you aim to achieve them. Weekly planners can go a long way in easing your blues. They will also make you more efficient over time.

2. The ‘weekend is mine’ mindset

Approach the weekend with a mindset of making the most of it. Chances are that you will be occupied in maximising your leisure time instead of worrying about the day that follows. It simply needs practice. One way to put this in practice is to stop checking your emails frequently, unless you get an emergency call from a colleague or a supervisor.

3. Great day affirmation

Understand that it is a vicious circle. You anticipate stress and eventually end up getting more stressed. You can start your day with positive affirmations as they are powerful tools for reprogramming your belief system. Over a period of time, you will notice that your attitude towards Mondays has completely transformed. You can speak these affirmations aloud or say it in your mind while you are on your way to work.

Some Monday affirmations that can work for you are:

• “I look forward to the excitement and newness that Monday brings in my life.”
• “I enjoy the work energy of a Monday morning.”
• “Mondays help me achieve way more than the rest of the days.”

These are small, simple steps that can be really effective in changing our perceptions about Monday. Changing the way we approach this day of the week can easily make Mondays more enjoyable and productive.