How to Beat the Monday Blues
For many people, Monday feels like a nightmare. Here is what causes the Monday blues and five practical ways to beat them.
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iWallet | Blog Yazarı
August 04, 2020
5 min read
For many people, Mondays are a nightmare. People with the Monday blues associate the day with the end of the weekend, endless work, tiredness, irritability and reluctance. In fact, understanding what causes the Monday blues is the first step to preventing them.
Don't change your sleep routine
Our bodies and brains run on an internal clock known as the body clock. Interfering with it can cause all sorts of problems. To understand this, think back to the days when the clocks change for summer or winter time: a shifted body clock noticeably affects our rhythm and mood. In fact, these one-hour shifts aren't limited to daylight saving time; we make similar changes every weekend. We stay up late to have fun and sleep in to rest, which can upset the body's rhythm and almost always means a bad start to the week. Waking up at 11:00 on Saturday and Sunday and then at 07:00 on Monday can leave us starting the new week tired. To avoid this, it helps to keep your sleep routine at the weekend too.
Don't treat Monday differently from other days
In a study on the Monday blues, employees were asked to record how they felt each day, and the results were surprising: they felt just as stressed and overwhelmed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as they did on Monday. In other words, Monday is no different from the rest of the week. Employees' mood only changed on Friday, as the weekend approached. To avoid feeling stressed and down on Mondays, we can remind ourselves that it is just the transition from the weekend to a new week and that Monday is no different from any other day. Looking at it this way can help you prevent the Monday blues.
Socialise and relax
We all enjoy carrying the cheerful mood of the weekend into Monday, because we are all social beings. Chatting and connecting with other people at work helps us feel better and more secure, and that means happier Mondays.
Don't drop your healthy routine at the weekend
Many of us step out of our usual habits at the weekend, for example by taking a break from our diet or exercise routine. According to a study in the US, this is why women feel less attractive on Mondays. So try to keep up your healthy routine at the weekend as well.
Try to enjoy your job, or plan a new career if you can't
One reason behind the Monday blues may be that, after a lovely weekend, we are going back to a job we don't like. Returning every week to a job you don't enjoy stifles creativity and productivity and can cause stress, unhappiness and irritability. If you regularly suffer from the Monday blues, it may be time to plan a new career.
Don't change your sleep routine
Our bodies and brains run on an internal clock known as the body clock. Interfering with it can cause all sorts of problems. To understand this, think back to the days when the clocks change for summer or winter time: a shifted body clock noticeably affects our rhythm and mood. In fact, these one-hour shifts aren't limited to daylight saving time; we make similar changes every weekend. We stay up late to have fun and sleep in to rest, which can upset the body's rhythm and almost always means a bad start to the week. Waking up at 11:00 on Saturday and Sunday and then at 07:00 on Monday can leave us starting the new week tired. To avoid this, it helps to keep your sleep routine at the weekend too.
Don't treat Monday differently from other days
In a study on the Monday blues, employees were asked to record how they felt each day, and the results were surprising: they felt just as stressed and overwhelmed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as they did on Monday. In other words, Monday is no different from the rest of the week. Employees' mood only changed on Friday, as the weekend approached. To avoid feeling stressed and down on Mondays, we can remind ourselves that it is just the transition from the weekend to a new week and that Monday is no different from any other day. Looking at it this way can help you prevent the Monday blues.
Socialise and relax
We all enjoy carrying the cheerful mood of the weekend into Monday, because we are all social beings. Chatting and connecting with other people at work helps us feel better and more secure, and that means happier Mondays.
Don't drop your healthy routine at the weekend
Many of us step out of our usual habits at the weekend, for example by taking a break from our diet or exercise routine. According to a study in the US, this is why women feel less attractive on Mondays. So try to keep up your healthy routine at the weekend as well.
Try to enjoy your job, or plan a new career if you can't
One reason behind the Monday blues may be that, after a lovely weekend, we are going back to a job we don't like. Returning every week to a job you don't enjoy stifles creativity and productivity and can cause stress, unhappiness and irritability. If you regularly suffer from the Monday blues, it may be time to plan a new career.