When Steve’s alarm went off Monday morning, he woke up terrified. It was the same day of the week that her energy and enthusiasm were minimal. I wanted to sleep more, relax, and do anything that didn’t require going to work. The same old pattern of running through traffic to get to the office, attending tedious meetings, making presentations, and preparing a weekly to-do list was overwhelming. He would tense up thinking about it from Sunday.

Sounds familiar? Many people fear Mondays and the start of the week is usually slow for most of them. But there are ways to overcome the anxiety associated with the first day of the week and make it as bright as a Friday. Some of those ways are discussed here:

1. Make Fridays Productive – Many people do not like Mondays because they are stressed by completing pending work from the previous week. People begin to relax from Friday. Stop this urge to let go of Friday and focus on completing most tasks before the weekend so that there are no deadlines or pending assignments to attend to on Monday. The beginning of the week should be cool.
2. Make sure to have fun on the weekend. – Mondays seem challenging for those who don’t take a break, even on weekends. It’s important to eat right, get enough rest, relax by meeting friends, watching a movie, or hitting the dance floor at a club to refresh your spirits and feel revitalized. Weekends should be used to recalibrate the mind and body.
3. Plan ahead – Mondays can be stress-free if you plan well, preferably the week before. Making a to-do list and then dividing them up over the next week, delegating a few, and checking off a few to discuss with coworkers can help navigate through the Monday blues without a hitch.
4. Get a good night’s sleep and get up early – You have to get up early on a Monday morning, dedicate some time to a workout and some relaxation technique such as yoga or meditation, have a good breakfast, dress appropriately and then go to work with a relaxed mind. This can only be done when one sleeps on time on Sunday night.
5. Listen to upbeat music on Monday morning – Research has established that listening to music can lift your mood. One can start the week with a musical note charging the spirits with soothing sounds.
6. Have a proper breakfast – A good breakfast can set the tone for a day and even a week. However, many people don’t realize the importance of this, they just run off and skip the most important meal of the day. This is the reason why one can feel bad and inconsistent during the day. A person should eat a healthy and delicious breakfast such as scrambled eggs, avocado toast, fruit oatmeal, smoothies, etc.
7. Dress elegantly – If you look good, you tend to feel good. One should plan a Sunday evening on the dress that he would like to wear on Monday. You have to look your best to feel confident and energetic.
8. Interact with coworkers – When you arrive at the office on Monday, you should have short, positive conversations with your colleagues before starting work. Spreading positivity can brighten the mood and keep the spirit alive. Keeping pictures of loved ones at your workstation can also help you combat stress.

Recovering from the blues

Sometimes a person’s anxiety can linger for the week, the month, or even longer. This indicates an underlying problem, which needs to be addressed if self-help tips fail to come to the rescue.