Five things to do to have better Mondays
If you hate Mondays, you must question whether you're doing the right thing at this point in your life. I'm not going to condescend to you and tell you outright to quit your job and I don't know, move to New York to find your fortune. Not all of us have that luxury. You probably have a good reason for doing work that gives you very little joy, but if you don't - and be honest with yourself at least if you can't do that with your friends or your family - it's time to think about your options.
But back to the matter at hand: Mondays! Even the happiest person feels a twinge of sadness after a good weekend. Here are some simple things I recommend to anyone who wants to have a less stressful start to their week!
Don't eat past 6PM on Sunday. Eating a hefty dinner makes many of us feel sluggish and dull the next morning. This has something to do with our digestion and metabolism slowing down when we sleep! Instead of imbibing obscene amounts of coffee to wake yourself up, try to avoid eating the night before so that you are a little more alert than normal.
Wake up an hour earlier than your usual time. So you're not a morning person, fine, but an extra hour in the AM won't kill you. Try to sleep an hour earlier if that will help! if you wake up with 60 minutes in your pocket, you won't feel the need to rush through your routine and then feel harried and stressed in the process. You can spend it on things you love doing - maybe write in your journal, doodle or paint a bit, craft things, or perfect your makeup. Anything goes as long as it makes you happy!
Dedicating an hour at the start of your day to something you enjoy makes a huge difference in how you deal with the rest of it.
Don't read your emails, favorite websites, or look through social media first thing in the morning. I'm always online and recently I realized how this gives me little room to breathe! So now I don't read anything on the web until I'm done with my morning routine. Instead of putting my phone under my pillow, I place a book. That way I can focus on something solid and meaningful within itself; my mind doesn't feel like it's scattered everywhere trying to suck up nourishment from the dry places of the Internet.
Write down your goals for the week, and the specific things you need to do to achieve them. Emphasis on writing! Writing things down is not the same as typing them on your smart device. The visual, tactile, and even olfactory experience of writing something down allows you to remember it better.
Write your things to do, starting with the easiest tasks before moving on to the bigger ones. You can also do the reverse - go with the big tasks first if that frees up more time for you later on. Your list doesn't have to be detailed and strictly time bound. You just need to have a guideline, a map if you will, of how your day or your week will go.
Listen to classical music. I'm not an expert on this by any means, but I find that listening to beautiful symphonies help me relax. They are also excellent background music while I'm working, as it helps me focus and solve problems better! It makes me feel waves of emotions without the discordant tunes of contemporary music. I love rock, pop, and dance music but I find them too distracting sometimes. You should try it out one time! Here are some of my faves:
Hope this helps. ^_^ Would love to hear about your own advice to those who just can not with Mondays!
