career happiness

How to beat the Monday blues

It’s another Monday.

(I know:“Hooray!”, right?)

I try to be a pretty upbeat, cheerful person on the whole, but a case of the Mondays can still get to me sometimes. It’s hard to help it. Here you are coming from a (hopefully) lovely, relaxing weekend, back to your dull, gray office to face another week of the grind. It can be depressing.

Which is why I’ve decided to put together a little emergency kit of tricks to use on myself the next time I find myself coming down with a case of the Monday grumps:

Monday blues busters

Happy tunes. If your office lets you play the radio (or listen through headphones), put on your favorite, most danceable songs to get yourself in the right state of mind. You can even create a “case of the Mondays” playlist full of tracks that are guaranteed to boost your mood when you’re down.

Treat yourself to something yummy. I try to eat healthy and avoid buying food on the run normally, but some mornings, a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks can literally turn around my entire day. I consider that $4-$5 well-spent, as a “once in a while” treat.

Get some sun and exercise. This gets a little harder in the winter months or when it’s rainy, but whenever possible, try to get outside at some point doing the day just to feel the sun and wind on your skin and to move around a little bit. I love using half my lunch hour to eat and the other half to take a walk around the block. It gets me out in nature (which always cheers me up), and it re-energizes me after being stuck at a desk all morning.

Dress to impress…yourself. I don’t know about you, but when I look good, I feel good. It’s a total mind trick. It can be tempting when you’re facing the closet on a gloomy Monday morning to just throw on a sad sweater and some pants and call it an outfit. But when I’m feeling glum, I try to put on something that will make me look vibrant and happy, even if I’m not feeling that way: bright colors, fun accessories, maybe something a little fancier than normal. It makes me feel good about myself, and it gives off the image that I’m put together and in a fun mood…and all of that usually adds to me actually being in a better mood.

Smile. It’s been proven that “faking it” can actually make you feel happier. Something about the actual act of smiling releases happy feelings within us…plus, the more pleasant you appear to the world, the better the world will react to you, which has the domino effect of making you happier.

Scream in your car. I know, you probably didn’t see this one coming from little, perky ol’ me, did you? But it is so therapeutic (and fun!). While you’re stuck in traffic or parked in the lot at the office, make sure all your windows are rolled up, (maybe turn the radio up a bit), and scream as loud as your lungs will let you. The first time I ever did this (after getting the idea from a friend), I felt so ridiculous and silly afterwards that I burst out laughing…which definitely turned around my mood. Try it once, I dare you!

How do you beat a case of the Mondays?

~Heart,

Em

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photo credit:  Steve Kay

7 Comments

  • I definitely had the case of the Mondays today! And then with the Hurricane Sandy on everyone’s minds (i live in Toronto) and the dark gloomy weather outside just didnt help either! 🙁 But i find that faking it just works wonders…faking a warm smile eventually turns into real smiles, and when ppl respond to your good mood, it can lead to fun chats with coworkers and the day doesnt feel so bad anymore! I have never tried the screaming in the car yet…but im very tempted to try! Anything to release that frustration of insane traffic and bad drivers…good thing my windows are tinted!! 🙂

    • It’s so true…putting positive, happy energy out into the world (even if you have to “fake it” at first) leads to positive energy coming back at you, and it turns into one big self-fulfilling prophecy.

      Oooo…I haven’t thought about the window tinting thing. I have my windows up, so people can’t HEAR me, but I can only imagine how I must LOOK! Oh well, one more thing to laugh about, I guess! 🙂

  • I try to chat with a long distance friend on my drive to or from work. She and I share stories of our weekends, she in Wisconsin and I in Texas. Also, a good CD or playlist in the car is a good idea for Monday or Tuesday – Friday blues.

    • Talking with a friend or loved one is another great way to lift your spirits. I should add that to my own list!

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