A Bad Case of the Mondays

Nobody likes Monday morning.  Or if you admit that you belong to the 1% of the human race who actually enjoys beginning their work week, everyone around you looks askance as if you were a crazy alien.  But what is it about Monday morning specifically that causes so much reluctance and grief?  Most likely, it is a combination of a full two days off from work (in general) plus an innate human desire to spend time doing fun things rather than heading in to the office.  Not many people would choose work over play; ergo, we spend our weekdays looking for the weekend and the weekend dreading the weekdays.  Unfortunately, this "case of the Mondays" applies to children as well as adults, although not to as great an extent.  Mainly it revolves around a severe desire to avoid school at all costs.  Whether you home school or send off your children each morning, the morning routine seems a bit tougher on Mondays than any other day of the week.  The question is how to deal with this fact.  

There is a saying –– well, there are several sayings –– but this one is: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."  I know this doesn't exactly apply to dreading Mondays, but it can be altered to a parallel statement:  "No day can make you dread it without your consent."  This statement can be paired with "Life's what you make it."  Your attitude towards life (and Mondays) is completely under your control.  Regardless of whether you love or hate your job, you can still enter it with a cheerful attitude vs. a despondent one.  "In every cloud there is a silver lining."  In everything you do try to look for the good.  By doing this, you will accomplish much.  Your outlook on life will brighten.  You'll find things often overlooked.  You'll find the good.  You'll avoid hatred towards your job or co-workers.  And you'll become a better person overall.  


This "looking for the good" is all well and good, but you may be wondering just how to do so.  Or whether there are more avenues to pursue towards dispelling the dread of Mondays.  There are quite a few options available to the creative mind.  Here are a few that I recommend:


1.  Make a list of the goods that you receive because of your job (or whatever you are dreading.)  By remembering all of the blessings in your life, you are better able to "suffer" through whatever it is that troubles you.


2.  Remember to smile.  A smile brightens up the room and illuminates everyone's day.  Regardless of how crummy you feel, remember that your attitude affects the people around you.  By smiling through the pain, you can help others around you to discover a happier day.  Besides, smiling is good exercise.  And it will cheer you up if you let it.


3.  Find a happy song that always makes you happy, even when you're really sad.  Listen to it on your drive to work.  Your whole day will be better if you begin it well.


4.  Eat well.  Get enough sleep.  Believe it or not, eating right and sleeping well both affect your day-to-day attitude enormously.  If you stay up all hours and have to get up at the crack of dawn for work, you'll dread the work.  If, however, you use common sense and allot yourself enough hours of sleep, you will feel more refreshed in the morning and ready to take on the day.  Eating right works the same way.  If all you do is stuff yourself with carbs and preservatives, your body will feel sluggish and lazy.  On the other hand, if you eat right, you will find your energy boosted as you begin the days with a lighter step.


5.  Laugh often.  You'd be surprised how a good laugh can dispel the clouds of darkness surrounding Mondays or any other dreaded thing.  Besides, when you laugh in the face of trials, you shock the others around you into curiosity.  Maybe eventually everyone will face problems with positivity and optimism vs. dread and pessimism.  


6.  Above all else, keep up a good attitude.  I know how easily the human person spirals because of a minor insult or setback.  If you understand the potentiality for such spirals ahead of time, you can avoid them or at least spot the warning signs.  By doing so, you can avert the problem before it arises.  It is not always easy (read: almost never) to remain cheerful in the face of adversity (or Mondays), but as you struggle remember three things:  You are not alone (because all of mankind struggles with you.)  You grow stronger each time you conquer the despondency.  You draw closer to your full purpose as you pursue the truly Christian attitude.


I know dreading Mondays is a hard habit to break.  Keep trying.  And as you try, remember to teach your children the same truths.  Look for the silver lining, and you will find a happier home and life.