Monday (based on a regular Monday to Friday working week) is the day we say goodbye to the weekend and hello to the start of a new week and all that comes with it – alarm clocks (electronic rather than children), a rush out of the house, childcare or school drop offs and pick ups, commuting and back to long working days. I think it’s fair to say they get a pretty bad reputation overall.
Here are some of my thoughts…
It’s a big psychological shift from mummy mode on Sunday to professional mode on a Monday morning that takes place quite suddenly and even though it happens every week it can still be quite an adjustment. Our lives can be so different from one moment to the next in that switch. From enjoying precious family time to then being away from your children and focusing on work can a be tough transition.
If you’re a busy mum trying to juggle getting children to childcare or school at the same time as getting yourself physically and mentally ready for the working day ahead it can feel like a lot. I know I sometimes feel like I’ve done a day’s work by the time I get to my desk, particularly in the days I was commuting to an office! Doing this on a Monday, after a relaxing (or even a not so relaxing) weekend can be a shock to the system and feel completely overwhelming.
Hating Mondays feels like a fairly common thing. The general lack of enthusiasm towards them which we see and hear all around (from family, friends, colleagues, on social media) might be a factor in our own feelings about them. It reinforces the negative associations Monday has.
If you’ve had a busy weekend, full of family time, catching up on chores, housework and so on but with little time just for you, it can leave you feeling tired and drained. Knowing that you’re at the start of a week from this starting point rather than feeling refreshed and energised can be daunting which can make everything feel a whole lot more challenging.
You’re in a job or company that isn’t fulfilling you, that you aren’t motivated by and isn’t in alignment with your true purpose. If you’re bored in your role or don’t enjoy the work you’re doing it is going to be much harder to look at the start of the week feeling positive and excited.
1. Change your mindset – change the message you’re telling yourself about Mondays from a negative to a to a positive one. Reinforcing a negative message is only going to make you feel worse but it doesn’t have to be like this. Mondays can be a great time for a fresh start and find new opportunities. What positive can you see about the week ahead?
2. Have something to look forward to in the morning – whether it’s something you enjoy listening to if you commute, a scrummy breakfast if you work from home or wearing an outfit you feel great in, decide what it is on Sunday and prepare it so that on Monday morning you something ready that brings you joy.
3. Be ready – you might not want to think about Monday morning during the weekend but it can be hectic getting yourself and the children out of the house dressed, with teeth brushed, breakfast eaten and school bags packed. Help yourself to a calmer Monday morning by making sure you have everything you need for that first morning of the week all ready. The last thing you need on a Monday morning is trying to track down a clean school jumper!
4. Set yourself goals – Give yourself time to plan goals for your week either on Monday morning or even better the Friday before. Having goals for your week will help set you up to be productive. Having a purpose and being able to tick things off your list can often help boost your mood. These goals could be work related in terms of what you need to get done, but you could also include personal goals. What could you do this week, starting on Monday, that gets you closer to your dreams?
5. Make time for you – create some time for you on the weekend that is away from playing with your kids, cooking, cleaning up, doing laundry etc. Do something that feels like self-care, whatever that looks like for you. It could be a walk on your own, reading a book, an exercise class, baking a cake, catching up with friends – something that re-energises you. When it comes to Monday and returning to work, this might help you feel like you’re not only ever doing chores, looking after your children or working.
6. What’s really going on? – Take a deeper look and be honest with yourself about where your dislike of Mondays is coming from:
Is it the conditioning a lot of us tend to have for the hatred of Mondays?
Is it the shift from the freedom of the weekend to the structure of the working week?
Is it that you’re not satisfied in your job, you’re unmotivated and you know you’re not doing something your really want to be doing – you’re not filling your potential?
Understanding the route of the problem can help you tackle it.
If you uncover what it is you don’t like, what can you do to change it?
How do you feel about Mondays? What tip are you going to try to help you start loving them?
Rose x
PS. Download my free guide including my top 10 tips to managing mental overload as a mum.
