Coping with the start of the week can be challenging for some people, as it often marks the end of the weekend and the return to work, and/or life in general. If your partner works away from home, it’s never easy to think you have to get through the next 5 days alone, particularly if you have children to look after.
Here are a few suggestions that may help to make your Mondays more manageable:
- Prepare as much as possible on Fridays: Before the weekend starts, take some time on Friday to organize your things for the following week. This will help you feel more in control on Monday as opposed to wondering what to do or stressing that you can’t find your child’s PE kit.
- Get a good night’s sleep: Ensure that you get enough rest on Sunday nights so you can start the week feeling refreshed and alert.
- Plan a positive start: Can you fit in doing something you enjoy first thing on a Monday? If this changes from week to week, that too could help to keep up the positivity.
- Break tasks into smaller steps: If you have a lot to accomplish on Monday, would breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps help you to feel less daunted? Maybe time management techniques to prioritize tasks would help if you are app or list orientated.
- Look ahead to the positives : Sometimes, focussing on the opportunities the new week presents rather than dreading the end of the weekend helps to take our attention away from what is stressing us.
- Voice your feelings: Reach out to colleagues, friends, or on this site to share how you feel about Mondays; a problem shared is a problem halved.
- Find something to look forward to on Monday evening: Plan something enjoyable for yourself, such as a special meal, a walk with the dog or just a soak in the bath, to create a positive endpoint to the day. You can decide what this could be while you’re getting ready in the morning so you can vary things from week to week.
Adjusting to Mondays might take time, but just thinking of ways around it may help. Sometimes, it may require you to take yourself out of your comfort zone such as applying for a new job or approaching a group of other mums at the school gate.
Do you have a problem with Mondays and if so, how do you get over them?
