Monday rolls in and… (you fill in the blank).
If you hate, dread, and complain about Mondays, then I want to challenge you to change your mind. This doesn’t mean to be unrealistic or untrue to yourself, but a challenge to change your perspective and approach for your own sake. Will you take it?
You see, we are trained to think a certain way from a young age. Our information consumption shapes our worldview, we pick up habits from those around us, and give in to the status quo. Like hating Mondays, for example.
But what if you went against the grain? What if you created a weekly routine you loved? What if Mondays were just as fulfilling as any other day? Granted, we’ll run into days and seasons where things don’t really go right, but that shouldn’t dictate our attitudes for and in our future. If we convinced ourselves that Mondays are bad, then of course they will be.
However, Lamentations 3:22-23 says, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. If this is the case, then Mercy wakes us up every morning, including on Mondays. What a beautiful reminder!
You can continue living in the stereotype, for the weekend, and with complaining. Or you can take on Mondays with confidence, motivation, and passion. In the next few minutes, I want to share how you can transform your mindset about Mondays.
It’s a stereotype trap.
“Your Monday morning thoughts set the tone for your whole week. See yourself getting stronger, and living a fulfilling, happier and healthier life.”
Germany Kent
Hating Mondays is a stereotype trap. I mean, what did Monday do to you?
The days of the week should help you keep track of dates, not your mood. It’s crazy that we can even hinge on a day’s name to determine our attitude. If Mondays make you grumpy and Fridays get you excited, then what else dictates your mood?
When you let external things dictate your emotions and attitude, you’ll get easily scattered and unstable. You won’t really know what you want, and you’ll constantly be waiting for that thing to happen, for that day to come. And though it’s true, that circumstances will affect your emotions and feelings, you still shouldn’t continue throughout life solely relying on them.
People rarely look forward to Mondays (or to even having a good Monday) because, as I’ve mentioned, they’ve gotten stereotyped. There are all kinds of stereotypes, and I venture to say that Mondays, Fridays, and certain times of the day have stereotypes, too. And they’re accepted everywhere, especially in our Western culture.
To change your perspective, you’ve got to think new thoughts. Change the stereotype and adjust your perception. Like the quote above, you set the tone for your whole week on Monday mornings. If you already stereotyped it with the rest of society, you could expect to have a mundane week filled with must-dos. Or you could change something up, like your thoughts, routines, and/or your goals.
There’s more to life than just the weekend.
“Hey, I know it’s Monday. But it’s also a new day and a new week. And in that lies a new opportunity for something special to happen.”
Michael Ely
There’s more to life than just the weekend. Your happiness and feeling alive shouldn’t get reserved for 2 days of the week or even your vacations. You can hustle through the week and still find freedom, rest, and have a fulfilled life.
When you treat your weekends as a golden ticket to your preferred life, something’s off. You didn’t grow up to just make it through the week. As Benjamin Hardy said in this article, everything in your life right now is simultaneously what you tolerate and what you’re committed to. The beauty of this fact is that you can change what you tolerate and what you’re committed to. You created the lifestyle you’re living now.
Again, it’s true that we go through seasons in life when we need to just get through the day. But I’m talking about your every single week. If you look at the first chapter of the Bible, God was in Creator-mode. He was at work. By the end of every day, He called His creation good, and it was evening, and there was morning. Then we read into chapter 2 which says, by the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so, on the seventh day he rested from all his work.
God created something every day and called it good. We can learn from this and make the most of every day, not just the weekends. We can’t succumb to the stereotypes and experience life 1-2 days out of seven. There’s more to life than just the weekend. Here are a few ways to do this:
- Have daily and weekly goals.
- Pick up a hobby that helps you unwind after work.
- Start a journal and write about your day.
- Go on daily walks.
- Less TV, more creativity!
It’s a new day.
“When you start to do the things that you truly love, it wouldn’t matter whether it’s Monday or Friday; you would be so excited to wake up each morning to work on your passions.”
Edmond Mbiaka
Finally, I want to encourage and challenge you to look at Mondays as a new day, apart from your calendar. It doesn’t matter what day of the week it is; God’s mercy wakes you up the same.
Every day is brand new, and Mondays don’t repeat, only your routines do. So, if you’re not happy with your Mondays and other weekdays, my last recommendation is to practice gratitude. Every night before bed or every morning before you leave the house, write 3 things you’re grateful for (and make them different every day!). Not only will this help you find contentedness, but it will increase your sense of purpose every day, and transform your mindset about Mondays altogether.
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive–to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
Marcus Aurelius
Conclusion: 8 Ways to Stop Hating Mondays
Hating Mondays is a stereotype that YOU can break!
YOU can make the most of every day and not live for the weekend every week.
Let every day be a new day for YOU.
- Change your thoughts to change your perspective.
- Change your routines to match the life you want.
- Create daily and weekly goals.
- Pick up a hobby or activity for after work.
- Start a journal and write about your day.
- Go on daily walks.
- Less TV, more creativity.
- Practice gratitude every day.
What else would you add to the list?
Why else do you think people might hate Mondays?
What helps you break out of Monday mundane-must-dos?
Maybe I’m a little different…I look forward to Mondays…a beginning of a new week. It’s a day when I tie up loose ends from the past week and make plans for the present week. I don’t feel rushed or frantic on Mondays because I know I have the whole week ahead of me.
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You and me both! I enjoy starting the week 😊
i just hear way too many people have the same conversation about “it’s Monday…. Can’t wait for the weekend”
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