Do you ever experience the Monday Blues (also known as Mondayitis or 9-5 Blues)? Perhaps you’ve been experiencing the “Blues” all of 2020!? And if you have no one can blame you!
Monday Blues can affect almost everyone that goes to school or has a job, especially since many of us consider Monday the beginning of the “work week.” Getting back into the swing of things can be challenging, which often leads to depression, feeling down, low energy, dissatisfaction, etc. According to the Urban Dictionary, Monday Blues can range from being tired, upset because your sports team lost a game to dealing with a hangover come your alarm on Monday morning. Hahaha!
Regardless of the events or reasons that you might experience the Monday Blues, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that constant fatigue, stress, depression, and other various negative emotions will eventually bleed into the healthy areas of your life and can wind of causing us a myriad of other problems, including issues with our physical health.
Even though we can poke fun at the Monday Blues concept, it is indeed a real thing and I’d like to ensure that you’re equipped to handle the beginning of the week with lots of energy, a positive perspective and may even come to look forward to a fresh start. So, with that, I’ll share my tips to overcome the Monday Blues, which in reality are suggestions for every day of the week. Tweaked on the weekend or when you’re on vacation, slightly, but otherwise good for all our days.
DRESS FOR SUCCESS
I don’t mean that you have to wear a heels or a suit and tie, but where clothing that actually makes you feel good and comfortable – pick a color that makes your eyes pop, or something that give you a breath of confidence. If you have to wear a uniform, control what you can, which in some cases may only be your attitude, but work with what you’ve got - undergarments, jewelry, shoes. The year 2020, with the global pandemic, has flipped most of our working worlds upside down. Working from home, Zoom meetings, etc. have become the norm, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still dress for success. It’s all about building a routine, which leads me to my next tip…
ESTABLISH & MAINTAIN A ROUTINE
I can speak from experience here. I’ve been self-employed for all of 2020, so when the pandemic hit and rocked all of our worlds I could’ve just crawled into a corner and pouted, but instead I’ve maintained my routine throughout. This is what gives this crazy, hectic and unknown days a sense of normalcy. I continue to set my alarm, get up, do my morning prayer and meditation, enjoy a 20+ min infrared sauna session, shower, get dressed (for success, of course!), and eat breakfast.
GET UP EARLY
Early can look different for everyone, so I’m not going to say an actual time, but a key to a successful day is being in control of it. The best way the experts say to do this is to “get up before the sun rises.” I don’t think it has to be super early (even though I’m a 4AM riser, hahaha!), you just want to make sure that you have time to yourself – no spouse, kids, roommates, etc. interrupting you. You want to give yourself time to pray, meditate, exercise, journal, or just sit with your thoughts. Pro Tip: write down a few things you’re grateful for and write down a positive statement about a current goal you’re working on. For example, if you’re trying to lose weight, you can say something like ‘I’m loving my healthy body.’ This doesn’t have to be hours upon hours of alone time, but you’ll be amazed at what just 15 minutes of quiet time can do for you.
DON’T REACH FOR YOUR CELL PHONE
I know for many of you this is crushing you to hear, but the truth is that you’re giving away your control and power when the first thing you do is reach for your cell phone. Why? Because you’re either checking for missed messages, emails or what was posted on social media while you were sleeping, or probably the worst – the news! None of that is worth your precious time. If there was an emergency, they would’ve called, you can like your friend’s food pic later, and the news is just depressing.
Scientific researchers have shown that checking your phone first thing in the morning can set you up for a day filled with stress, playing catch up, or worse yet, not even getting around to doing what YOU wanted to accomplish for the day and don’t even get me started on the effects of blue light.
HAVE FUN
Attitude is everything, particularly if you’re feeling stuck in your job. Something I try to teach my 13-year-old all the time (which is reinforcing it to myself) is that we should control what we can, our attitude. Brining joy and fun into the equation will help this process. Laugh. Easier said than done sometimes, I know, but even the most serious jobs require some lightheartedness every once in a while. Make sure you have snacks and food for lunch that you look forward to and enjoy. Do something that ignites you when you take a break, oh and make sure you actually take your allotted breaks. Listen to music, if you can, have pictures of family or friends that make you smile, take pride in your workspace…you get the point.
The folks over at Ivy Panda share 5 Ways to Overcome your Monday Blues:
1) Go to bed early
2) Avoid Overscheduling
3) Don’t break your self-care habits
4) Do something you love
5) Rethink your study/job
As an essential oil educator, I would be remiss if I didn’t share some of my favorite essential oils and natural solution products that can help in these areas. Essential oils are great for anchoring thoughts and routines. There is huge power in our sense of smell – it’s closely linked to our memories and sends messages all throughout our body. Making using an essential oil that you like, that’s uplifting, or grounding into your morning routine can help you look forward to and accomplish your routine with ease.
A couple of my favorite essential oils to use in the morning are: dōTERRA Adaptiv™ Calming Blend, Wild Orange (or any citrus really), dōTERRA Balance® Grounding Blend and Frankincense. My daily morning supplements are: dōTERRA Lifelong Vitality® pack, Copaiba, Mito2Max®, and Adaptiv™ Calming capsules. This is just a highlight of some of my natural solution toolbox products that I use in the morning. If you’d like to discuss the how and why I use these every morning I’m happy to chat with you. It’s my goal to customize the customers experience and truly help you be empowered in the products that you’re using. I offer free 30-minute consultations by phone or Zoom and would be honored to set aside time to help you reach your health goals.
xoDanette