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If you work a 9-5, Monday through Friday job, Sunday evening heading back into the work week can be tough. Especially if you have a chronic pain condition. Sometimes there’s pain that comes with the start of a work week or after a long weekend. It can be hard mentally and physically just to start the week off on the right foot.
In today’s post, let’s talk about some tips to take Mundane Monday and turn it into Motivational Monday.
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Disclaimer: The information on this blog is based on personal experiences and should not be considered medical advice. The information on this blog is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please ask your doctor if you have any questions.
Monday Blues
Let’s be honest for a second – Mondays usually suck. Like, ugh, time to go to work again? No, thank you. Time to start my long list of to-dos and all that comes with it? *Heavy sigh*
I try to set boundaries to keep from working seven days in a row for someone else or myself. But sometimes even though I’m not at work, that doesn’t mean I get to have a lazy weekend. Am I the only one whose weekends fill up more with responsibilities and errands, instead of fun stuff? Like adventures or sewing projects. Thus Mondays sometimes come with some frustrations for me.
Come Monday jumping back into the swing of things can be a real struggle. Maybe I’m not emotionally prepared for this. My body isn’t ready. I had too much fun over the weekend. Or too many cleaning projects around the house and now my chronic pain is acting up. Instead of feeling excited or ready for Monday, I find myself frustrated, exhausted, and in a bad mood at the start of the week. Can you relate?
Let’s talk about some tips to help us start Monday off on the right foot.
Motivational Monday
The best way to change your mood about Monday is to find something to look forward to on this day. One of those things for me is sister yoga over Zoom. I only do this on Mondays, the rest of the week I’m on my own for exercise. Sister yoga helps me to get excited about something specific to Mondays.
What can you do on Mondays that will give you something to look forward to and motivate you to head into the start of the work week? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments! Try to find something that gets you up in the morning and gets you excited for the day.
Sometimes I look for joy in pursuing my passions and dreams again on Mondays. Not that I don’t pursue them on the weekends, but I try to take breaks and get out of the house instead of always focusing on my list of to-dos for my blog or sewing wants. Instead of being overwhelmed by this list, I try to change my perspective and see Monday as a new opportunity to work on my goals and devote time to myself.
Changing my perspective from “I have to do this,” to “I get to do this and I want to do this,” helps me to remember why these goals are my goals, and it gets me one step closer to accomplishing them.
Having a dream to chase also helps you to set boundaries with work. Take your breaks at work, you absolutely deserve them. A 15-minute break is an opportunity to nourish your body and protect your mind from stress. Try taking little breaks to work on your goals.
For example, I love sewing, it’s one of my happy places. Taking a 15-minute break from work when I’m feeling a little drained to go sew a few stitches on a project I’m working on immediately puts me in a better head space and helps motivate me to finish work faster. Because the sooner work is done, the sooner I can hop in and sew some more.
Encouraging Words
Along the same lines as the previous one, to help your motivational Monday out, find what encourages you best. While this could be a certain meal you only eat on Mondays. It could also be sayings and quotes taped to your desk or mirror. Or finding the right song that speaks to you.
Words are powerful, and sticky notes are cheap. Consider picking some up from the store and taking the time to write yourself a little encouraging note for next Monday! Next Motivational Monday! Right? I’m just trying to write it into existence.
Setting Yourself Up For Success
If you know Mondays tend to be hard for you physically or mentally, try to set yourself up for success by making some simple changes during the week.
If you find yourself waking up Monday feeling drained, try to think of some things that you can eliminate from your weekend to dos. These don’t have to be drastic changes to make a big difference. Some small things that drain a lot of my energy include things like:
- Washing my hair
- Shaving
- Grocery shopping
- Cooking
I’m sure I could think of a couple more if I sat here long enough, but I digress.
My point is, for someone without chronic pain, these tasks may be simple, but for someone with chronic pain, even having to do one of these things, let alone all of them on the weekend, adds to pain and fatigue. Instead of packing all these things into your weekend, unless your Saturday or Sunday is specifically set aside for you to have a pamper and/or errand day, try to spread these things out during the week.
In short, it’s important to plan ahead.
Maybe that means you wash your hair on Thursday, shave on Friday, and go to the beach on Saturday. Helping you to have a Motivational Monday because you’ve eliminated some of the things you need to do that day and you’re excited to jump into other tasks.
As far as cooking goes, use the weekend as an excuse to eat out, or consider meal prepping during the week. I like to make a big batch of soup during the week and I save a container of it in the freezer for a later date. It’s great for busy days or days when I’m flaring and don’t want to cook.
It’s not a bad idea to eliminate cooking from your Monday too, if you can manage to meal prep for it during the week or just eat up leftovers.
At my house, we didn’t like that we spent our weekends running errands, so we rearranged our menu to ensure we had enough food to last us through the weekend. On that note, if you find your fridge a little empty on the weekend, it’s okay to get a little creative and pull from some pantry staples to see what you can make. In a pinch, oatmeal is a complete meal, even if it’s not your ideal dinner.
Finally, ask yourself, “Do I really need it?” Before you make a trip out to the store to get one or two things, ask yourself if it’s really needed. If you can find a way to work around it you’ll be able to save yourself some energy and hopefully from burnout.
Living in Perú I don’t have all the same options that I do back in the States, I’ve really learned to push myself and get creative with everything, but in particular for this conversation, with my food. I’ve learned to substitute ingredients and to just be okay with skipping things that aren’t available to me. 90% of the time the dish still turns out great!
I hope you found this post helpful and it encourages you to plan for a motivational Monday next week!
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P.S. If you’re looking for an activity you can do on a bad flare day and from bed or with your virtual community, download our free trivia here.
Playing trivia is a great way to still participate in fun activities with your friends and family without ever leaving the comfort of your bed. It’s perfect for keeping in touch with friends who you may not be able to visit regularly. Check it out and let us know what you think! 👇
