Lauren Yellin Weinberg* says regardless of your job, its possible to love the start of the work week.
The light begins to peek through the curtains gently waking you from sleep. No alarm has sounded, and you drowsily begin to yawn and wake, orienting yourself to the day.
Suddenly, it hits you.
This is Monday morning.
What is your gut reaction? What is your first thought?
Are you bubbling over with excitement, starting to plan for how to hit Monday hard, or do you cower, a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, dreading the long week to come?
Many of us fall into the latter category.
We take it for granted that this is just how things are; we loathe the workweek and live for the weekends.
TGIF! Regardless of how you feel about your job, this is not the way things have to be.
Brain research has shown that, in short, what you think about you bring about.
Our thinking contributes to the thought and felt experiences that can lead to neuroplasticity of the brain.
Focus on the negative and you will see negative, feel negative, create negative.
Expect to feel happy and you will find a way to make that happen.
As Henry Ford is famous for saying:
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”
It’s not magic and it’s also not as simple as just deciding you are going to love Mondays (and Tuesday-Friday).
If you create an awareness of wanting to be happier and set an intention to welcome more positivity and happiness into your life, you can take steps to get there.
It takes patience and daily practice, but you too can learn to love Mondays.
1) Find the good.
Make a list of what you enjoy about your job.
Hopefully, this list is long and comes easily.
However, it can be the smallest thing.
Do you like the people with whom you work? Do you enjoy sorting your office supplies and organizing your desk? Do you like the way the light comes in just so at 11:00 AM?
Write it down and keep it where you can see it.
Read it often.
2) Focus on the learning.
Whether you are or are not at a job you love, what skills are you acquiring? Cast a broad net.
Are you learning about a new field? Are you learning how corporate hierarchies function? Are you learning how to be a good team member? Are you learning how to lift heavy items without injuring yourself?
You are absolutely learning something.
3) Treat yourself.
Make “treat yourself because it’s Monday” a thing.
Perhaps you treat yourself to a special coffee, make “lunch date Mondays” with a close friend, take an exercise class you love on your way home, or save one of your favourite shows to watch on Monday evenings.
Create something to look forward to on Mondays.
4) Power Mondays.
Find your own way to “hit Monday hard.”
When you start your week showing up strong for yourself, you are more likely to make supportive choices for the rest of the week.
If you’re not already someone who exercises regularly or spends time on yourself, start Monday with a power 30: ten minutes of exercise, ten minutes of reading a personal growth book or listening to a podcast, and ten minutes of meditation or journaling.
You’ve just hit the big three: body, mind, and spirit.
5) Gratitude.
Just before you begin work for the day, Mondays and every day, think of something work related for which you are grateful.
It can be what your salary allows you to do/have in your life, the people with whom you work, the ability to use your creativity…anything, large or small.
Expecting to be happy, focusing on the positive, and gratitude have the power to change everything.
These practices can turn the most hardened pessimist into someone who sees the possibility in every situation…even Monday.
*Lauren Yellin Weinberg is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and certified happiness coach with a background as a psychologist and family therapist.
This article first appeared at ellevatenetwork.com
