Bye, Monday blues!!!

You are not alone if you face the, Monday blues. I am RIGHT there with you. I just spent a relaxing weekend with my friends-we took our friend out to brunch for her birthday, book club, I sang karaoke with my significant other...and waking up early, on Monday just didn't feel all that and a bag of chips. I didn't want to break away from my bubble of a relaxing weekend.

I struggle to wake up in the morning, especially on a Monday-when it's cold in Chicago...just let me stay in bed please! I'm going to share what works for me and what I have researched, on the interwebs, that also help me.

What helps me!!

• Morning ritual: I do the 5-4-3-2-1 method by Mel Robbins (more on that in a later article) and I'm out of bed by 6 am. I write in my Gratitude journal (thank you, Jess) and I pull Enneagram Reflection cards (I'm a number six if anyone understands this)-I actually do this every day BUT I make time for it. Check my work email and do some work...then it's off to HIIT cardio time!
• If I know it's going to be a long day, at work, I will treat myself to Starbucks after I work out. I try not to go to Starbs all the time...only on days that I know will be hard, like a Monday! Then, I'm usually back to work by 8:30 am.
• Move every 90 minuets. I make myself do this. I work from home and usually, it's so hard to break away from the screen. My eyes get super tired (yes, I wear glasses now) and sometimes my brain just needs a break! I will either do dance cardio for 5 mins minuets (I'll break it up throughout the day) to Richard Simmons or I'll walk my dogs for about 10 minuets
• Finish Monday morning tasks on Friday. I try my best to keep my work schedule open on Fridays-especially Friday afternoons...things do happen and I of course will take any meeting. I need a day to do my "admin work." I also forecast out what I need to get done on Monday, on Friday. In the past, I would check my email on Sunday night so I wouldn't be overwhelmed come Monday morning (thank you, ADHD)...sometimes I still check my email on Sunday nights.
• Get that sleep the day before Monday. I do my best to get around 7 hours before the Monday work day.
• Find what brings you JOY (my mother would love this-but it's true) on Monday. For me that's sometimes is going to Starbucks, jamming out to Taylor Swift, etc... I try to find joy every day in life and during my work day.
• Ping your coworkers with a fun gif and say "Happy Monday!!" That can spark some positivity with you and it could brighten up someone else's day.

I get it. It's hard to always be positive 24/7, especially on a Monday. When something negative is going on, I usually will text my significant other with a funny dad joke. It's our way of turning something negative into something positive.

I'm curious, how do you battle your Monday blues?

And remember, Monday is just 4 more days until Friday :)