When you wake up with the Mondays -- that sense of overwhelm and lack of energy -- the last thing you want to do is accept this as normal or pretend it's not happening. Better to step back and regroup. You got this.
5 Ways to Get Your Monday Back on Track
1. Determine if you're big-time stuck or just needing a boost. One quick way to tell: Crank up your favorite song and see if it helps. (Though it might not win any piety awards, Get Ready by Rare Earth is a decent litmus test.) If your favorite music helps--even a little--other little things will probably help: fresh air, for example, or a nap.
On the other hand, if you stub your toe and fly off the handle, there might be something deeper going on. This is exactly what sparked my quest for a new life, fifteen years ago (on a Monday). Six months later, I kissed my father goodbye at the Grand Rapids airport, while clutching a one-way ticket to San Diego--a move that lit up my world and expanded my world. So if you're really stuck, you might try stubbing your toe and seeing what happens. Mostly kidding.
2. Write down all the possible roadblocks. It could be something as complicated as grief or as simple as needing groceries. Whatever it is, try not to judge or dismiss it. Just take a breath and deal with it. And don't underestimate the power of grief to pop up uninvited. I have two friends from childhood whom I lost in adulthood--the better my life gets, the more I miss them. Dealing with grief is a whole other pep talk. But half the battle is simply acknowledging it. On a lighter note ...
3. Lower the bar! This is not something you'll hear me say often. But when you're feeling stuck or out of sorts, even small accomplishments can put the wind back in your sails. Don't worry about how it all might look to the outside world. This is about how it feels to you. Ask me if I'm proud to have renewed my public-library card.
4. Eat well. When it comes to curing the Mondays, good food ranks right up there with music, books, and friendship. I don't know if you're a breakfast-for-dinner person, but to me, few meals hit the spot like bacon, scrambled eggs, homemade French toast, and orange juice (all of which I had last Monday night). What's your favorite comfort food?
5. Write down what you did get done. It has a way of adding up. Likewise for the little graces that crept into your day. And though it may sound hokey until you try it, those little graces or gifts or whatever you want to call them are always there, just waiting to be acknowledged. For me, they were the rocket fuel for my mercifully productive Tuesday.
Finally, when it comes to curing the Mondays, your best weapon is prevention. Figure out your potential roadblocks and deal with them up front. As an example, if I just sort of make up the week as I go along, I'll still get good things done--but with a lot more struggle than if I had mapped it out in writing, in advance. So guess what I made sure to do last Friday afternoon?
Wishing you a week with enough stability to keep you grounded, enough productivity to make you proud, and enough spontaneity to keep it fun.
Gina DeLapa is America's Ultimate Reminders™ Coach and the creator of the Ultimate Reminders™ book series. Her wise and witty reminders ("Color outside the lines, but park between them") will make you laugh, stir your soul, and inspire your best. Sign up for her free newsletter, Monday-Morning Pep Talk, at UltimateReminders.com.