Beep Beep Beep goes the dreaded Monday morning alarm. This is, more often than not, followed shortly after by the morning groan at the thought of the weekend is over, and the reluctance towards the need to get out of bed to start the new week.

We have all been guilty of this from time to time, but why?

The simple answer is that it is because of the emotional shift from having a fun weekend with friends, to the dawn of Monday requiring a working day. With the addition of no lie in, Monday’s have a bad reputation of being the end of ‘fun’.

Interestingly, “Tuesday is the most popular day for sending out job applications, possibly after following a pretty miserable first day of the working week.”

It’s easy to hate Monday’s

Admittedly, it is easy to hate Monday’s. It’s a common opinion that weekdays suck and the weekend is where the fun is at.

But this ‘Living for the Weekend‘ attitude is surely not the most positive way to live our lives. If we hate 5 out of 7 days of the week, most of the week we are despairing. This isn’t healthy.

Out of interest, on Friday I put a poll out on my social media accounts to gauge a consensus of opinions towards Monday’s from my followers.

From those whom voted within a 24 hour period the results were:

55% Voted “Yes, I hate Monday’s”, whereas 45 % voted “Nope, Monday is just another day”.

The results of my Instagram Poll

Why do we get Monday Blues?

The Monday blues are not too dissimilar to the January/Holiday blues. When the holiday season is over so are the decorations and the parties and the visits from friends/family, and… the bills start to come in.

To put it simply; ‘Normality’ comes back.

“It’s usually the feeling of going back to work for a full week of work but maybe that’ll change late on in life.”

A response from a ‘Yes, I hate Monday’s’ voter

“It marks the end of a fun weekend”

A response from a ‘Yes, I hate Monday’s voter’.

“You have to change your mindset back to productive and busy, rather than relaxed and lazy”

A response from a ‘Yes, I hate Monday’s’ voter

Does the majority of the population just hate their 9-5?

“Have to go to work and it’s the first of five days :(“

A response from a ‘Yes, I hate Monday’s voter’.

Do we all hate working and so the first day back just makes us grumpy?

“‘Hate Monday’s’ might be a bit extreme for me. You’ve just had a break during the weekend which improves it, however you are furthest from the next weekend break. When you are working a 9-5 you find yourself wondering about things like this… “

A response from a ‘Yes I hate Monday’s’ voter

“[I hate the] early starts after a weekend of being lazy”

A response from a ‘Yes, I hate Monday’s voter’

And is it just an expectation that people who work hate Monday’s?

I don’t mind Monday’s but I don’t have a job so…?”

A response from a ‘Nope, Monday is just another day’ voter.

Are Monday blues just a bad mindset?

So then why do we find days like Wednesday’s better? Perhaps people are back into the swing of working, or they are happier to be closer to the weekend again.

Or, I would like to suggest, it’s all about mindset*.

(*Obviously if you hate your job or unhappy at work, it is a different circumstance)

There is such a focus on Fridays and weekend being something to look forward to, and a big exciting event.

There’s a constant discussion of Friday and Saturday night plans — it is depicted as a sociable time that all must enjoy.

“We put so much focus on Friday’s and the weekends, that leaves for out of 7 days to slog through — That’s really not the way we should be living our lives”

A response from a ‘Nope, Monday is just another day’ voter.

Positive Monday Mindset

So if it is just an attitude ingrained in us from society to dislike Monday’s, habitual efforts can combat this.

I used to be anti-Monday’s but recently I have realised how negative this is and the effects of this on my mental wellbeing and attitude to the week.

“Fresh Start to the week, a new beginning… I love a Monday”

A response from a ‘Nope Monday is just another day’ voter

“Start of a new weekday. I tend to feel most productive on Monday’s because I’m refreshed from the weekend”

A response from a ‘Nope Monday is just another day’ voter

Monday Pressures

However, there were a couple responses I received that I had not even considered. One that I feel is equally as important to address

“There’s lots of pressure to get so much done and be super productive on a Monday”

A response from a ‘Yes, I hate Monday’s’ voter

Typically, as we have already discussed, Monday is the start of the standard working week and consequently there is a drive to be working hard and getting things done.

Knowing that this voter is in a similar situation to mine (aka. unemployment), I would speculate that this “pressure” to be working comes from the lack of working and the need to to feel productive.

Additionally, there is an undeniable presence on social media of people posting themselves smashing their goals and achieving things.

“Hate it- dislike the pressure of having an amazing new week… and I mean, it is a Monday…”

A response from a ‘Yes, I hate Monday’s’ voter

Maybe this plays into the; you either love or hate Monday’s that I, and this blog post, has fallen victim of.

But also, not many people discuss negatives online despite Monday blues being a commonly spoken about topic.

If we haven’t accomplished much in a day, it is easier to compare ourselves to others who have and feel ashamed about not doing that too.

We need to remember there is a reality behind this. Not everyone hits a new target every Monday. We are seeing a snippet of one of their day’s that they have chosen to post about.

Some days we just physically can’t be productive and that is okay. Keep trying when you can, and you will achieve your goals.

Maybe we need to focus in on our own Monday’s more.

Recently I have been trying to set my self up for a positive Monday by doing the following:

  • On a Sunday evening, I pull out my weekly planner and plan my week– that way the start of the week is less daunting. I have a plan and I go in confidently knowing what I’m doing.
  • It has also helped to plan ‘fun things’ within the week like coffee dates so then there are things other than the weekend to look forward to.
  • I also like to see the week as a fresh start for new opportunities — there is no guarantee that something will come up, but it might and that’s exciting (for me this is writing opportunities).
  • At the weekend I am most likely to have had more sleep, giving me this fresh energy to groove through the week.

Obviously my life isn’t perfect and by doing these steps I won’t always have a ‘perfect Monday’, but it’s certainty a step in the right direction for a more positive approach to weekly life.

These steps have helped me, so feel free to try them out, or find your own habits that put a more positive spin on your Monday’s.

Let’s not keep counting the days to the weekend and wishing time away, or putting far too much pressure on ourselves — lets simply make the most with what we have got.

Happy Sunday and I wish you all the best for a Happy Monday.

Thanks for reading.

Let me know in the comments if you are a Monday lover or hater and whether or not you’re going to try and make Monday’s a more positive start to the week.

Recent Blog Posts: