Monday: “Why does everyone hate me?”

It’s Sunday night and you already feel that knot in your tummy because in a few hours you will be waking up for yet another day at work. You spend most of Sunday feeling anxious and as much as you try to relax and use the day to recharge, your mind shifts to all the reports you need to send, admin that’s outstanding, hoping nobody books off sick, dreading the thought of seeing your manager and some of your colleagues and waiting to see what’s been dumped onto your plate.

Your mind is fixated on what happened last week and the amount of work that’s piled up on your desk because the week became too hectic to finish everything. You dread the morning meetings because you have this fear your name will be called to answer a ridiculous question and anticipate one or more people to call you with their crappy Monday attitude. Your mind shifts to the worst possible scenario in every situation, even if it is completely unlikely to happen. 

You text your besties and everyone has come to the same consensus: “Urgh it’s Monday again, so fast!” 

So far in your morning, absolutely nothing negative has happened. Your coffee didn’t spill, you manager hasn’t been lurking in the corners and your colleagues seem to be engrossed in their work. It all seems good. My question to you is simple: “ Why do you hate Monday?”

Why don’t you hate Tuesday? Tuesday is the day after Monday and is likely to be busier with everything that you couldn’t complete on Monday. Why don’t we hate Wednesday – it’s in the middle of the week and goes as slow as a snail. Why do we have this horrible attitude towards Monday and where does it stem from?

Since school days I dreaded Monday but only because I had to wake up early as opposed to a weekend. It was the start of a brand new week and I was going to learn a whole new section of something in biology and it was not exciting. The annoying part was the amount of home work we received at the beginning of the week but we kind of handled it. As we got older, our hatred towards Monday became more apparent and we were more vocal about it. 

There are some reasons why I think you might dread Mondays and here they are: 

• You hate your job. I’m sorry if that was harsh.

• Your colleagues can be overwhelmingly annoying.

• You hate waking up early.

• You have this pit in your tummy because you don’t know what the week has in store.

• You are anxious in case superiors are around.

• You don’t feel motivated for the week ahead.

• You dread the amount of work lying on your desk that you couldn’t finish on Friday.

• The queries from the previous week are still very much unsolved and you don’t know where to begin.

• Your superiors are shittty and don’t offer much help.

• Management is about to roll out another useless process to add to your existing chaos.

• That one colleague that gets on every last nerve will be present and the list goes on and on.

With that said, all of the above can be experienced on any day. NEWSFLASH: annoying co-workers can be annoying on a Thursday if they feel like it and if you do hate your job, you will still hate it the same way on Wednesday. 

We wait five days every single week to spend less than 48 hours happy and jovial. I said 48 and a half because on a Sunday by 3pm the anxiety kicks in for most people. Why do we spend all week waiting for basically Saturday to have the energy to do the bare minimum such as catch up on the weeks laundry, maybe go out for lunch and before you know it whilst watching television, you are lights out asleep? Sunday rolls over and usually you attend a religious gathering and engage in prayer or meditation and afterwards head home for some lunch and a power nap. By the time you actually wake up, Sunday is almost over and you begin to panic about Monday.

Why do we feel this way? Why is it that we have these knots in our tummy as we get closer to Monday. Monday is the same 10 – 12 hour shift that you work on every other day. 

We (myself included) need to rewire our brain and come to the conclusion that Monday is just that – a day. It’s only a day and it shouldn’t intimidate you the way it does irrespective of the situation. The piled up work will be completed in the new week as you crack on with your work. Consider creating a hierarchy of importance so you know where to start. This allows you to do things in order of priority and not feel overwhelmed. Also, don’t be afraid to say no to any new work that isn’t super urgent and that can wait. Simply tell your colleague, you are swamped at the moment and will assist as soon as you can. Don’t try to be a Marvel character and be the hero all the time and end up with burn out – you are just harming yourself. Don’t take this personally but at your company, you are just a number, a number that can be replaced tomorrow. 

Getting back to tackling Monday, try and set aside some time in the day to properly have your breaks. Break time is mandatory and if you sit at your desk and eat you are doing it wrong. This goes for everyday of the week, mind you. If you have the time (I suggest make the time) after work on a Monday go for a yoga class or switch on YouTube and do some at home. You have to have something to look forward to so that your Monday isn’t as daunting as it seems. If you are anxious about the week ahead, switch that thought to what if the week goes fine? What if there is a smooth sailing week. Remember how you handle your plate is up to you. If you have a positive attitude and willingness to give Monday a chance, it can make a huge difference. Instead of saying “Urgh Monday again” try to not focus on the negative and instead say “It’s Monday and it’s a brand new week full of new things and if things don’t go the way I planned it’s totally ok!”

I also need major rewiring for Monday however I noticed if we tackle challenges that make us uncomfortable, as time goes by the challenge becomes smaller. I know it’s easier said than done, but we gotta start somewhere. Mondays have feelings too you know. Lol.

Let me know your thoughts below.

Till next time.