Goodbye Monday-itis: Making Mondays your friend

From Kirsty Mawer

I have been mulling over this the last few weeks, ever since I saw the cartoon of “Monday” sitting in a psychiatrist’s chair stating how “Everyone hates me”. And so I began to ponder – what if Monday was a person?

When talking to people, I will often say I’m awesome on Tuesday because I survived Monday, as if it is some big, hairy ogre that chased me for 24 hours from Sunday to Tuesday. As if it’s sole purpose was to tire me, make me cry and fill me with dread. Poor Monday. Did it choose to be so awful and hated or is this something we have cast upon it?  Relegated it to be so hated and often wished to be over?

Compare Monday to Friday, that fun loving day, regularly designated as free dress, sometimes celebrated with morning tea, afternoon drinks and, in the tradie world, the day to finish early. Wow, Friday gets all the fun. And unless you are lucky enough to start your working week on Tuesday, we have to get through Monday.

Imagine Monday having to defend or justify its existence. In my mind, Monday is quite confident and has a great self-esteem with the occasional human-like doubt:

“I’m not sure what all the fuss is about Friday is. Yes, she is the day before the weekend but I’ve noticed a lot of people are frazzled by the end of the working week. I’m the fresh start, the beginning. There are quite a few public holidays on me just to keep things interesting. See – I am not all about hard work!”

Did you know Monday is actually a slang term for a heavy sledgehammer? Or that the average person whinges about Monday for approximately 34 minutes compared to 22 minutes on other days? Not surprisingly, up to 50% of employees are late to work on Mondays and “Monday Morning Syndrome” is a real thing!

Each person is likely to have their own reasons for not favouring Mondays:

• Don’t like your job?

• Pack so much into the weekend that you’re tired? (guilty!)

• Poor sleeping habits?

• Dread for upcoming tasks and emails that come in over the weekend?

Most of us don’t have the option to not work on Monday so how do we deal with Monday-itis? I propose a change of perspective about Monday, to try to turn it into the new “Funday” and make it more like a friend.

First up, we need to stop the negative talk about Monday – surely we wouldn’t speak so badly about a mate? Second, plan some interesting activities to look forward to. A walk at the botanic gardens with friends after work, try a Monday evening Zumba class (my fave), a coffee and a good book at a new café, plan a delicious dinner at home by trying a new recipe or choose a family favourite.

Finally, make a conscious effort to make Mondays more enjoyable at work as well as at home. Find an upbeat playlist on Spotify to work to, “eat your frogs” and ensure you spread the glitter of positive attitude among your co-workers. Perform a random act of kindness and be ready to see Monday in a whole new light!