4 Steps to Kill Your ‘Case of the Mondays’ Mindset

Thanks to the cult classic movie, Office Space, many of us now have a name to apply to that feeling of waking up on a Monday morning overwhelmed about what lies in front of us – a whole new work week.
Having a “case of the Mondays” can be a real mood killer and certainly doesn’t lead to starting a day or a week off on the right foot.  In 2014 the online career company Monster produced some staggering numbers on this subject as a result of a survey they did with their millions of job applicants and employers.  The facts – upwards of 78% of people suffer from some form of the “case of the Mondays” aka ‘Sunday Fear Syndrome’.  
Like many Americans I also dealt with it for years.  I woke up, not just on Monday mornings but on most mornings, dreading the responsibilities that waited for me in my 7AM – 6PM job. (I didn’t even know what 8-5 meant and still don’t but that’s another story altogether)  As my “case of the Mondays” continued I started paying more attention to what was causing it and how it affected my attitude and outlook on the day. 
I wasn’t doing anything for myself to start the week or morning off on the right foot.  Like the saying goes, “you woke up on the wrong side of the bed”, when we start the day with negative energies we allow that to carry us through the rest of the day.  Starting a day in this fashion produces all sorts of unfortunate outcomes, many of which we aren’t even aware of but all of which negatively impact our experience in that day and week.
Then I discovered the cause of my morning blues!
Most people blame their job as being the culprit for the “case of the Mondays”.  As it turns out I was it wasn’t my job after all, the reality was that I liked my job very much. 
My discovery led me to realize that it was my mindset that was negatively impacting my mornings.  I was struggling to stay focused on being positive and doing things that aided me in keeping a positive outlook with the start of the day. 
As a result, I embarked on a mission to see if I could proactively change the way I greeted the world each morning.
The result of my little mission to fix my morning funk produced some amazing results.  After making some minor changes I began to wake up eager to greet the day with lots of natural energy and optimism.  I also found that my general outlook on things that were work related was much more positive which allowed me to deal with tough situations better.  The best part was I started sleeping better because I didn’t have the stress of the coming day weighing on my mind.
Here’s how I did it with four easy to implement steps:

1. Wake up 15 minutes earlier than you normally would each morning

Fact is – a common trait among people who are successful is that they get up early in the morning to greet the day and all that it has to offer.  Getting up early also allows us to go about our routine with a buffer that way we aren’t rushing to get out the door and make it to work hopefully on time for once.  When we aren’t pressed for time we give ourselves a chance to breath and do things that are important to us while also not having the pressure of running late.

1. Do a 5 minute mindfulness activity in the morning

Stretching and meditation are my preferred activities; you could also do yoga, go for a quick walk or bust out some burpees in your bedroom for all you Cross Fitters; basically any activity that gets your blood flowing.  Spend 5 minutes at minimum, certainly if you can do more that’s an added bonus.

1. Get rid of heavy amounts of caffeine

There’s nothing wrong with caffeine in moderation but when you’re slugging down a 40 oz to freedom each morning, or energy drinks for that matter, it makes you feel good in the moment but will inevitably bring you down later in the day causing your mood to plummet with it.  Try switching it up a bit and drinking green tea or nothing at all.  First sign you have an issue with caffeine is if you go a day without it and you have headaches or are a grump as a result.  Whatever you choose it’s important to know that caffeine, and diet drinks for that matter, alter the way our body feels and as a result it can lead to negative feelings later in the day which help to further the “case of the Mondays” slump.

1. Morning Affirmations

I know this can come off a bit cheesy however works!  A little personal pep-talk can do wonders to lift the spirits first thing in the morning.  The opposite is also true – when we start off our day with negative thoughts about ourselves or about the things that are waiting for us at the office we are building in preconceived notions about what our day is going to look like while also hijacking our chances to have a strong, successful and positive day.  Morning affirmations can be as simple as “I’m going to kick today’s ass!”  Have fun with it.
Give these four steps a try for five days to boost your morning mindset and be sure let me know how it worked.
When we choose to be in control of our life experiences, rather than allowing them to control us, we begin to experience life in a whole new way…the way it was meant to be.