Most people hate Mondays but for what reason? If Monday was shifted to Tuesday would you still hate Monday? Lol.
First, let’s examine the idea that it’s actually not Mondays people hate it’s the perception of what Monday’s represents. Monday is the “beginning” of another cycle of work/life balance; or imbalance. If your life is not moving in the direction you would like, Mondays really probably don’t feel very good. They could be a representation of everything that’s going wrong. If that’s the case, we’re reliving that weekly. And, the energy that it takes to bring us back to neutral is exhausting. If we actually ever try. This is creating stress physiology in the body with fear-based thinking in the mind.
Mondays are exciting for me, it means a new week of opportunities, growth, adding knowledge, what new thing do I get to write, what previous experience do I get to write about but when It’s a lazy Monday I wish I stayed in bed, cozy up with my laptop and favorite show.
Mondays can mean totally different things to different people. How many others “hate” Mondays? In the end, we are only a victim of ourselves and our thoughts.
Monday is coming again every seven days whether we like or not. The choice becomes changing the perception of the representation of Mondays and changing the patterns of behavior we’ve developed in response to this perception.
If you aren’t jumping out of bed Monday morning, there is a problem.
“Living for the weekend” is not a long-term strategy. You cannot go through life accepting that 5 out of every 7 days are going to be spent doing some undesirable to you. If you are reading this right now in an environment that is not stimulating you, why are you even there to begin with? Because it’s easy? Because it’s comfortable? Because it pays well? If your answer is Yes, then you aren’t just doing a disservice to the company you’re working for (simply along for the ride), but you are doing a disservice to yourself.
And there is no clearer answer to that than how you feel first thing Monday morning. If you feel any of the following, you need to question whether you’re in the right place or not.
- You got a full night’s sleep and yet you still feel tired. This is a very clear indicator that sleep is not the problem. The problem is you’re not emotionally invested in what you’re doing. Have you ever gone on a vacation or a trip where you’re doing stuff all day, going to bed late, and still waking up early with tons of energy because you’re excited to do more exploring? That’s how you should feel every day, in some way, shape, or form.
- You did not prepare yesterday for today. People despise feeling overwhelmed, and yet so many fail to realize they do it to themselves. Failure to prepare means you are preparing to fail. Mondays are only overwhelming if you did not take Sunday to get all your ducks in a row. And the reason why most people choose not to do this is because whatever it is they’re doing isn’t enjoyable to them.
- Everyone else hates Mondays too. It’s easy to hate things other people hate too. “Misery loves company.” It’s impossible to stay positive when your company culture is, “Hey Bob, how was your weekend?” / “Too short. Can’t believe its Monday. I hate Mondays.”
- You aren’t doing something you love. Obviously. You are not going to wake up feeling excited to go to a job you don’t genuinely enjoy. It’s astounding how many people choose things out of comfort, or fear of the unknown, and bite the bullet on years upon years of dissatisfaction.
- You don’t enjoy the people you work with. Most of the time, it’s the people around you that define how long you stay in any given situation. Regardless of how you feel about the work, it can be very difficult to take satisfaction in doing something with people who don’t bring you positive energy–and vice versa.
- Mondays mark the end of one life and the beginning of the next. When you “live for the weekend,” a Monday is the door shutting on your 48 hours of freedom–and that’s a pretty strong indicator you are living double lives. One life is how you “pay the bills,” and the other life is what you do for personal enjoyment. In some capacity, you want to find a way to merge the two. Otherwise, you will never find your work all that fulfilling.
- Because Monday means doing it “all over again.” This speaks directly to our culture of chasing rewards as “means to an end.” If you see every week as a sprint, and you endure it with the hopes that one day you’ll be “done” and you can finally “enjoy it and relax,” you’re doing it wrong. You’re missing the entire journey. You are aiming for something that doesn’t actually exist. Fulfillment is found along the way, not in a treasure chest at the end of the rainbow.
Science can explain a lot of things, even how you hate a Monday like today, maybe this will help you understand why Mondays are particularly difficult days:
- Your Sleep Pattern Changes during the Weekend
Most people don’t get enough sleep during the week, and they often try to make up for it on weekends. But sleeping in even an hour or two for just two days can confuse your body clock and we are slaves to our body clock. According to scientists, that extra sleep just makes you more tired at the start of the week. So on a Monday like today when you had a long weekend, it is hard to get out of bed.
- Your Need to Socialize
You know why you have a coffee and take longer catching up on gossip on Mondays? You need to feel like you’re part of the “tribe.” In this case, your workplace. Even after just two days away, according to scientists, “we need to make sure our place in our work environment is secure.” That coffee and chat is important part of your Monday, so stick to it or else you will feel all sorts of out of place.
- Sudden Change from Sunday
A larger emotional shift from Sunday (a happy weekend day) to Monday (a work day) occurs every week. Even though Mondays are no more stressful and depressing than Tuesday or even Thursday, people compare it to Sunday. So no matter what, Monday will always seem like it was the worst day of your week. Fridays are the best days because there is an anticipation for the weekend. Monday just has a bad rep.
- You are harder on yourself on Monday
On Mondays, you usually wake up with a mad case of Loser Complex (LC) from a weekend of drinking and eating more than usual. And your body feels it, hence the glumness. While these are positive changes, they aren’t fun to actually do, and they come from a place of feeling bad about yourself.
- You Are More Likely to Have a Stroke on Mondays
Scientists have found that even people who generally maintain their weight weigh the most at the beginning of the week. Mondays are also the most common day for people to suffer heart attacks and strokes. Even if you don’t end up in the hospital, your blood pressure is higher on Monday, as is your chance of getting sick in general.
- You Are Less Engaged on Monday
Monday mornings, you can’t help but to procrastinate. You’re not alone: according to a massive Gallup poll, 70 percent of people hate or, at best, are “completely disengaged” from their job. “Monday Blues” is a real feeling that starts on Sunday night, leading to an unproductive Monday. That might be why 37 percent of job applications are submitted on Tuesdays, more than any other day.
Here’s a helpful Mindful “Monday” Tip:
- As the thoughts come up, take five long deep inhales and exhales through your nose
- Have gratitude for what you “hate” about Mondays
- Now that your body is calming down, take a moment to explore what triggered the thought around “hating” Monday and invoke compassion for yourself
- Now, you have just learned a new awareness for yourself. Smile
- Where do you feel this awareness in your body? Breathe and allow it to move through you without reacting
