Monday Blues: How to beat them?
I remember one of my former bosses used to express his immense displeasure on this phenomenon at the workplace. The arrival of almost half-dead employees on a Monday morning was something extremely annoying for him. Generally, the Monday blues refer to a low feeling people may have at the beginning of a week. These are not part of a clinical disorder. Some people describe them as feelings of dread for the start of the work week. Some causes of the Monday blues include job dissatisfaction or work-related stress, and symptoms tend to be similar to those of stress. Other indicators include increased heart rate, headaches, and tense muscles.
A study examined two competing theories about how employees perceive Mondays, and it turns out employees view the beginning of the week differently from the end. The study pitted the “Monday blues” perspective against the idea that employees are rested, recharged and better able to tackle the world on Mondays. The research findings have repercussions for how employers should manage the typical five day workweek.
How to beat Monday blues at work?
Monday blues are a curable form of emotional trauma, and when science is behind something, it finds a cure for it wherever possible. Here are some proven remedies to avoid feeling Monday blues and flush them down the drain:
1. Who is the Culprit?
The best stress management technique to tackle behemoth problems is to have all your issues in front of you. Think about what you hate when it comes to Mondays.
- Is the road traffic you hate the most? For some people traffic jams are real headaches. Try to adjust that fatigue. Either work from home or get closer to the workplace.
- Stack of 250+ (mostly useless) emails waiting in the inbox from your boss or associates? This makes some professionals irate.
- Is it some colleagues you dread seeing walking into work or you hate your boss?
Each of these problems can be zeroed down to a single solution, which would eventually add a hue of pink to our Monday blues.
2. Self-care: A Crucial Element
Weekends are a perfect time to unravel and pamper yourselves, hit the salon, run a 2K marathon and enjoy, but self-care doesn’t start on Friday night and end on Sunday midnight. Take care of your mind, body, and soul throughout the week and leave the big unwinding tasks to the weekend.
Going fresh at work is something that could be a misleading statement for some. It means a complete hygiene package. One doesn’t need to buy expensive or branded outfits, shoes and perfumes but clean, simple and ironed clothes can also help. This gives us a different level of energy as self-care makes one feel good all across the week and not just on Mondays.
3. Replace Monday blues with Recognition
This might sound an out of box one, but spreading positive vibes throughout the workplace or just on your best friend forever (BFF) would always solve your Monday jitters along with theirs. Greet the person whose birthday is falling on a Monday. Don’t wait for lunch time or afternoon tea. Decorate his/her workstation with a nice cake and make his/her day.
Same goes for the employee of the month announcements or someone accomplished a timely project. Celebrate it right away. For long distance employees, send out Electronic version of certificates together with the virtual buckets of appreciation with Empuls — the perfect employee engagement platform to keep everyone motivated. Sometimes, all it takes is a click to knock the Monday blues away with Empuls!
4. Wrap up Monday jitters on Friday
It’s time to learn to get a bit organised. Every working professional can highlight everything that has to be done on Monday well before s/he turns the PC off on Friday evenings. Try to lighten the load by building up the groundwork for Monday and then shimmy into it with ease.
All of us don’t want to be bothered over the weekends with unnecessary reminder WhatsApp messages from work. It’s better to turn on an auto-reply on your messages so the receiver gets a courteous response to stop bothering you over the weekend.
5. Switch to Remote Work Model
Post Pandemic, the world has given us this fantastic facility. One doesn’t need to overly dress up, drive all the way to work. Remote work is — needless to say, the present and the future of a progressive workplace. When almost 50% of the employees at major corporations are involved in work that’s entirely online and on the cloud, switching to remote work can drastically eradicate the case of Monday blues.
Many success stories identify how peoples’ lives became “rich beyond measure” or how they could “mute people without being rude,” it’s a fantastic avenue for disgruntled employees to have a new outlook on work life. Not only does it lead to an amazing new-found love of the lavish life, but it helps a lot with inefficient, flexible, and timid work completion. It’s undoubtedly worth a shot as a cure for Monday blues.
Closure
To summarise, Monday mornings often come with a heavy dose of blues for many people. After a relaxing or busy weekend, transitioning back into work mode can feel daunting. However, conquering the Monday blues is not an insurmountable challenge. With the right mindset and strategies, you can turn Monday into a day of productivity and positivity.
Beating the Monday blues requires a combination of mindset shifts and practical strategies. By planning ahead, maintaining a positive outlook, and incorporating self-care into your routine, you can transform Mondays from a source of dread to a day of opportunity and productivity.
About the Author
Muhammad Sajwani is a C-Level HR, Transformation Leader, Board Advisor, Business Coach & Organisational Consultant working in the capacity of Managing Director, Evolve HR. He is an author, columnist and a contributor who besides writing for other platforms also regularly writes at BizCatalyst 360. He brings along 30+ years of local & international experience. He is a change catalyst specializing in unleashing the human Dreamgenius through Leadership, Creativity and Change Management. Muhammad has been instrumental in helping organizations come to terms with organizational changes like right-sizing and business process re-engineering. His innovative approach & high personal competence encourages people to not only accept change, but also to excel in it. Muhammad has diverse experience in conducting strategic & management development programs, conferences & events for organizations across sectors.
