Struggling With Monday Blues? Rewire Your Brain to Look Forward to the Beginning of Workweek
Many wish weekends don't end because they are not ready to return to work on Monday. If you regularly feel this way, you've got to rewire your brain to get yourself excited about returning to work or school after a fun break or weekend.
What Is Monday Blues?
According to Medical News Today, having bad sensations at the conclusion or beginning of the week is called Monday blues. Returning to the daily grind of work or school might occasionally be depressing.
At the start of the workweek, people could feel less satisfied and more stressed by their jobs.
The term "Monday blues" doesn't have a medical meaning.
Even though the Monday blues aren't necessarily a medical condition, some people experience genuine dread on Mondays. Someone's Monday blues may be a symptom of severe sadness.
The Monday blues are distinct from depression because they only occur on Mondays. Depression, on the other hand, is characterized by persistently negative moods and a loss of interest in enjoyable activities.
As the week progresses and we get closer to the weekend, this sense of dread on Mondays decreases. The Monday blues also have a specific cause, typically connected to a person's job or weekday schedule.
Rewire Your Brain to Get Excited About Workweek
If you are tired of feeling the Monday blues, there's a way to reprogram your brain so you won't feel the dread and instead look forward to the workweek.
Here are some tips from Science Alert.
1. Create a Routine
One of the things you can do to help yourself adjust from the weekend to the workweek is to follow a routine. Yes, establish a routine of working five days and taking two days off to make your life more meaningful.
You should also establish a sleep routine. According to a study, sticking to your sleep time even on weekends, will make you enjoy Mondays even more.
Change in sleep patterns over the weekend could trigger social jetlag. For instance, sleeping in later and longer than usual over the weekend can cause a disconnect between your biological clock and other obligations, which is linked to more stress on Monday morning.
Avoid naps and stick to a regular wake-up and bedtime schedule. Additionally, you might want to establish a 30-minute "wind-down" routine before bed, during which you should put away or switch off all of your electronic devices and engage in some relaxation exercises.
2. Hack Your Hormone
Hormones can also play a role in how we feel about Mondays.
Saliva samples taken from people working full-time were tested for cortisol levels. The results show that they tend to be higher on Mondays and Tuesdays and lower on Sundays. According to Healthdirect, cortisol is a steroid hormone released in greater amounts in the bloodstream under stressful situations.
Cortisol changes daily but not regularly as a stress hormone. Compared to weekends, cortisol levels rise quickly throughout the morning on workdays.
To fight this, we must train the brain only to perceive genuine dangers to deceive the amygdala. In other words, we must quickly activate our prefrontal cortex.
Relaxation exercises, especially on Mondays, are among the best ways to accomplish this and reduce stress.
One option is mindfulness, which is linked to a decrease in cortisol. Spending time in nature is another strategy; getting outside on Monday morning or during your lunch break can significantly alter how you view the start of the week.
Prevent yourself from checking your phone, social media, or the news immediately. Spend the first-hour doing activities that make you feel good.
It could be by practicing meditation, exercising, or enjoying a cup of coffee without distractions. It is wise to wait for the cortisol peak to decline naturally, which takes place about an hour after waking up.
By employing these straightforward strategies, you can program your mind to think that the weekdays can be as enjoyable as the weekend.
RELATED ARTICLE: How Do 7 to 9 Hours of Sleep Help Improve Mental Health?
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