Hello and welcome back to Being Meraklis a podcast by Shwetha Sivaraman.
I want to begin by thanking all the amazing listeners who took time out to listen to my introductory episode and share valuable feedback with me, I am truly overwhelmed.
If you are tuning into my channel for the first time, Being Meraklis is a podcast about life through my journey of self-discovery. A conversation on life in all its glory with its highs and lows. This podcast is a reminder of how we are not alone in this journey and on the simple things we can do to make this life a memorable and beautiful experience.
So, how are you all doing this beautiful Sunday evening?
Sunday evenings used to be, well they still are sometimes, a kind of a nightmare for me and my husband. Sunday evenings marked the onslaught of the monday blues that slowly permeated into everything we touched. So, I thought what better topic to address this week on my podcast than Monday Mornings.
Yes, I said the two dreaded M words together “Mondays and Morning”. There is something about Monday mornings that drives a cheerful human being straight into the arms of depression isnt it?
Its been 5 years, and I swear I have rarely come across a soul who is happy on Monday Mornings. The week always begins with grumbles, mumbles, crankiness, and caffeine. Lots of caffeine.
Did you know that #mondayblues has 2.5 Million posts on instagram. To put things in perspective, a hashtag like #globalwarming only has 1.2M. That is how widespread our dread for monday mornings is. Regardless of whether we are living the life of our dreams or are one among the herd restricted to the drudgery and realities of life, we still dread the onset of Monday mornings
I for one, can never get a good night’s sleep on a sunday. Does that happen to you as well? If yes, then you begin Monday Mornings, groggy, feeling like a zombie, still half asleep and loading on caffeine to garner some strength to get out of the door and enter your work station. Do not worry you are not alone.
There seems to be several studies and scientific research on this topic.
Several studies attribute it to sleep patterns. Our minds respond to our body clock and even an hour’s shift in sleep patterns can make us groggy on monday mornings.They have coined a term for it – Social Jetlag. All our social engagements in the weekends shift our sleep patterns making monday mornings difficult.
Several folks tend to catch up on sleep during weekends and that does not help either.
Some say it is purely psychological – We treat mondays with such dread. Having had the freedom to do as we please over the weekend – that we are annoyed when the right is taken away from us suddenly on monday mornings. We are expected to do things we probably do not want to or feel like.
In some cases, the dread comes from the lack of motivation to go back to your workplace
Or on the other hand, if we are all too excited about the week ahead, we work ourselves up to be anxious, go on an overdrive – and plan the week out even before it has started.
Be that as it may, I have often wondered, why is that so? What is it our generation has made so bad about Mondays? Isn’t it just another day. I mean look around you, the sun is not crying its way up the horizon because it is monday. The birds are not silent and in mourning just because it is monday. The dogs at your home are not hiding under the bed because it is monday. All around us nature wakes up to mondays just like any other day. Hell they probably do not even call it a MON-DAY it is just a day.
So stop going on a thought overdrive and just wake up like it is any another day. Easier said than done, I know. But it comes with practice.
Just like any other day you are going to have things that you like to do and things you do not like to do that must be done. But if you just focus, you might get done with them rather than brood all monday and stretch the unpleasant tasks for longer.
Multiple miserable Monday experiments later, I have identified a few things that have worked for me.
One thing that always makes monday morning bearable for me – is to chart out what needs to be done on this day before closing the previous week (That could be friday/sat/sun for you). I know it has been a long week, you have no stamina, youre mentally drained and exhausted. But just powerthrough for another five minutes to chalk down what your priorities are for the next week, beelieve me it works.
We are anxious mainly because there are a number of things to do and our brain thinks that it is its responsibility to remind us of all things as and when it comes across anything remotely related. These thoughts circle around in your head all weekend at bay and kill you by the time you try and catch some sleep before a monday.
Try it out once and it might just make the transition to the next Monday more pleasant.
The other trick that usually gives me a quick positive jumpstart to the day is this – Start your day thinking of three things you are truly grateful for
Nothing like sheer gratitude to let go off petty anxieties and worries and fill your heart with warmth and love
I for instance, am grateful for being able to live a life doing things I love the most – putting words together for a living is a dream I never knew I had close to my heart and am super thrilled every time I see something I create resonating with individuals or clients I work with. I am grateful for my family and support system for always being there through the madness in all its highs and lows. And lastly, I am grateful to you, my listeners, for tuning in and sharing this precious gift of time with me on this glorious day.
Drop me a comment here on the Hubhopper app on what you are most grateful for and whether it helped shift your perspective a bit.
Another hack I use to change the dreadful negative playlist playing on a loop in my head Monday Mornings is to remind myself that I am never going to get a chance to re-live this exact Monday again in my life. Perverse as it may sound, it really helps in diverting your energy to make it count instead.
On Mondays that you feel overwhelmed with work, begin with something small. Look at your to-dos and check how many of them can you do in under 3 minutes. Time yourself for 15 minutes and voila you can cross 5 things off the list already.
The smallest of gestures can also uplift your moods like no other
Smiling at your co-passenger on the train
Wishing security guards at your office building a cheerful Good Morning – The smiles on their faces would lighten up your day
Listening to your favorite playlist during your commute – This is one of my all time favourites. I usually pick songs that remind me of my fondest memories and that is enough to make all warm and fuzzy.
Have a tiny little pick-me-up in your office bag – I used to carry a tiny silver of dark chocolate to reward myself for powering through mundane meetings
Have something to look forward to on Monday evenings – it could be a walk in the park, a run by sea face, a video chat with family or loved ones
Trust me it will make a difference.
Remember though, there still might be some days where no tricks can help. If you are having one of those days, just brace the day with all the grit you’ve got and remind yourself that this too shall pass.
I for one am pumped up for this week kicking off brand new projects and cannot wait to get started.
Thank you for tuning in, this is Shwetha Sivaraman signing out hoping you have a great week!