3 Ways to Stop Hating Mondays Forever

“It’s just another Manic Monday,” goes the famous song by The Bangles.

Let’s face it, Mondays are a snooze. In the 24 hours that make up a Monday, there is not a single part of those 1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds that is pleasant. Monday mornings have you struggling out of bed, leaving the comfort of your warm blankets; Monday afternoons have you wishing you could hit the snooze button and reaching for your third cup of coffee; and by Monday evening you’re so thoroughly worn out by the depressing nature of the day that you collapse in a fit of misery, grateful that at least when you wake up, it’ll be Tuesday.

Let’s be fair, Mondays get a bad rap. Why do we hate this day so much? Our disdain is so great, that it prematurely spills into our Sunday evenings too! We had the Monday blues as a child, when the first day of the week meant another five days of school. This condition was left untreated as we partied through college and pencil-pushed our way through internships and errand-running first jobs. But despite the other areas of our life that have changed, Mondays kept right on sucking. Our hatred for the day and all that it represents has never waned.

In an effort to reverse this mental conditioning against Mondays, here are three ways to turn your Monday around. What are you waiting for? Break out of your Monday rut now!

1) Start a Fun Monday Tradition

One of the biggest traps we fall into is simply believing this day is evil and attaching every negative thing that happens with the general awfulness of Mondays. Instead of thinking of it as the first day of your workweek, find another way to define Mondays by starting a new tradition and changing your perspective.

Here are some fun ideas to make Mondays fun and fabulous, instead of dull and dreary:

• Got a Friday tradition? Push it up a few days and make it a Monday tradition? For example, go for coffee with your coworkers on Monday morning. That extra jolt of caffeine and coworkers maybe just the ticket to a brighter Monday!
• Dress up a little nicer than you normally do for work on Mondays; switch up those flats for some cute heels and add some color to your corporate wardrobe! 
• Treat yourself to your favorite afternoon snack, or indulge in a delicious dessert after work. 
• Pack yourself something extra-yummy for lunch… or choose Monday as the day you go out to eat at your favorite deli! 
• Happy Hour Mondays! Go for a drink with coworkers after work and toast to your newfound fun.

2) Switch it Up!

Is Monday your errand day? Switch up your weekly chores like grocery shopping, dry cleaning, and other household duties so that you aren’t dumping all of your mundane activities on poor Monday. Give yourself something to look forward to at the end of the day – a salsa class, movie night, or whatever else makes you smile!

3) Give Sunday a Makeover

We look forward to Fridays because they signal the end of the workweek and the beginning of the weekend. And Saturdays are meant for sleeping in and staying out. But Sundays? We’ve come to dread them because they mean the weekend’s almost over and reality is just around the corner.

Stop letting your Monday blues ruin Sunday. Why not go for a fun, Sunday brunch? Or sleep in and catch an afternoon movie? Try taking the edge of Monday by doing some chores early, or if you’re feeling like a couch potato, there’s nothing more relaxing than Sunday night television.

Enjoy the weekend for what it is, and you’ll be better satisfied to go back to work come Monday morning. Make sure to get plenty of sleep Sunday night too… a good night’s rest can improve your mood like nothing else.

Attitude Adjustment

The key to Monday happiness is to change our attitudes about the Monday blues. Bottom line? Find a way to make Mondays magical, and you’ll forget why you hated them in the first place! 

Photo credit: Flickr.com