Make Monday Your New Favourite Day of the Week

Ok, I know I’m being a little over ambitious with the title of today’s article, but it did get your attention, so job done!

Now, let’s just imagine that there is a way to make Monday better, or at least make it less dreaded, especially as we head into the winter months.

I remember when I was teaching and even when I was an education advisor, Sunday, especially the evenings, I would notice myself already starting to stress. The work overload, the preparation, meetings and all the rest would start to overwhelm me.

And sadly that meant that my Sunday’s were often days where I prepped and not really taking the downtime I so needed.

If you experience Sunday anxiety, well you are not alone.

Research indicates that over 80% of the adult population reports feeling some level of dread on Sunday evenings as they anticipate the upcoming week.

In fact, this is particularly so for younger adults, with 74% of those aged 18-24 feeling heightened anxiety as the weekend ends.

The impact this has on our mental health is that it can manifest as symptoms of anxiety, such as restlessness, irritability and a vague sense of unease.

This can affect our overall mental health well-being, if left unaddressed.

So, given that this is such a common challenge for so many of us, what can we do?

Well, before I move onto sharing some useful strategies, let me just cover this one point.

Often when we experience this dread for the working week, we might begin to think it’s the fault of the actual job and in some cases that might very well be the case.

However, and I say this from experience, even after changing jobs, we may realise that perhaps it’s not the job but the actual experience of moving from leisurely time to working time.

You know the saying, ‘the grass is greener on the other side’, well it’s not always so!

So, if you are sitting there dreading your Monday morning, maybe you can start by:

1 – Awareness: Noticing what is actually going on for you, is there a genuine reason for this distress, like a real problem at work that needs to be addressed or is it just the feeling of having to leave the comfort of home, the ease of your personal life to be flung into the faster pace of work?

2 – Inquiry: When you start to pay attention to the thoughts that come with the negative anticipation of work on Monday, you might decide it’s time to change jobs or you might just decide it’s time to change your daily routine.

Or You may even decide it’s fine, it will pass, as it so often does.

3 - Plan: Practically you may also plan your weekends so that you can use some time for your work, but once that time is over, you also let go of your working hat and allow yourself to focus on your personal life – without guilt!

4 - Time Out: Make sure you give yourself time to rest, play and take care of yourself while you are away from work. That way you’ll have more energy when you return to work on Monday.

The Role of the Workplace

If you are responsible for wellbeing at work, being aware of the specific challenges that many of us face on Monday mornings can help you implement strategies to ease staff into the working week.

In fact, if we all knew that what awaits us at work isn’t the ‘thrown in at the deep end’ but a smoother easing in, perhaps we’d be less anxious about it anyway – just a thought!

And there is one thing that is extremely important to remember, whether you are a HR professional, wellbeing manager or even just a work colleague, none of us really knows what is going on in another person's life.

They could be facing a whole host of personal challenges that they do not share at work, so let’s not jump to conclusions if a work colleague isn’t upbeat or working at their peak.

While of course work is work and we have responsibilities, the best workplaces promote a supportive environment, where we do not have to forget, we are all just humans trying to live as best we can.

If you're ready to address these challenges within yourself or your organisation, I'd be delighted to help.

Please message me directly or email me at [email protected] to start a conversation and take the first step towards a more balanced and fulfilling life. ??

#WorkLifeBalance #MentalHealth #Wellbeing

About Anna Zannides

I am a Holistic Peak Performance Coach, Author & Work-Life Balance Advocate.

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