Monday Morning Blues

Youth Inc tells you how to get through the most awful day of the week at work- Mondays!

So, as a young, gorgeous, single person in your early twenties, your weekends are usually spent with other young, gorgeous, single twenty-somethings, living up their youth while they have it. This works great during college life, when, after an especially long weekend, you can hear the soft snores of students recovering in the back rows of a dull lecture. Once you start working, however, you can’t really fall asleep at your desk with your work piling up next to you. “Monday morning blues” occur when you come down from your weekend high, your energy levels are at their lowest, you can’t find the humour in anything, and you are generally a grumpy, grouchy misanthropic Scrooge.

Sound familiar? Chances are, you’ve been there – and we know we certainly have. Even if the physical hangover effects may not hold, the psychological ones do. You may begin the day with a burst of reserve energy from the weekend. Come lunchtime, however, you’ve realised you need to keep going for the rest of the week. The psychological warfare that ensues is enough to make you cower in a dark corner for the rest of the day. Worry not, we will show you not just how to get through the day but also how to do so while impressing your colleagues and seniors with your determination and endurance.

1. Drink (water) like a fish

One of the main reasons you feel like shit after the massive weekend you’ve had is probably that you are just not hydrated enough. It’s amazing what a few glasses of water can do to affect your mood and uplift your spirits. If you are even mildly dehydrated, then you consider tasks to be much harder than they actually are. Also, dehydration may cause you to become more pessimistic than you are when well-hydrated! Researchers from Tufts University have found that dehydration has a direct correlation to your mood. Even actress Jennifer Anniston famously said last year that not drinking enough water can make you ‘cranky’. Drinking a lot of water has been a homeopathic remedy for depression for centuries, and now it seems there is finally proof for it. Just knock back those glasses with the same enthusiasm you did over the weekend!

2. Pump that playlist

A fantastic way to just get going with your work is to listen to some dance numbers while you are going through routine tasks. Phase out and reminisce about the good times you’ve had, and remember that they aren’t over yet! Let the music carry your blues away. How can you feel tired and grumpy when you’re all charged up while listening to your favourite tracks? We recommend investing in some good headphones to shut out the noise of the outside world as you enter another one in your head.

3. Talk to the people who keep you going

The only way to get through a day of work when you are in the doldrums is to dig deep into your reserves and find that little bit of energy that keeps you going. We think it helps to send emails, chat or just call those people who keep you energised when you feel your energy flagging. Maria Fernandes says, “When I feel like falling asleep at my desk, the only thing that keeps me sitting upright at my computer is that little blinking blue box that tells me I have a message. It motivates me to keep working if I’m not feeling too isolated or cut off. I actually become much more productive that way. If you are alone in a little cubicle, it’s really difficult to keep yourself motivated. Human beings are social creatures and are not meant to be cut off for eight hours a day staring at a computer!” If your workplace disapproves of you sending personal emails or chat messages, then step outside for a quick call or invest in a smartphone!

4. Take time out!

Your mind needs some time off to function effectively. Some like to fill in crosswords or Sudoku puzzles to relax, while others like to just stare at the sky. Reading the paper, playing a game, clearing out your desk or just chatting with your friends by the water cooler – it doesn’t matter what. You need to take frequent breaks – five to ten minutes for each hour of work at least – in order to keep going. After all, sustained exposure to any sensory feeling will make you numb to it after a while. The same happens with some ideas. If you pay too much attention to one thing, your focus is likely to wane. Smokers have an inbuilt ‘break’ mechanism, but perhaps you could look for some healthier break options.
Keep these ideas going through the entire week and you’re sure to become more productive. Then you can balance out your work evenly and have a great start to the week!

Volume 1 Issue 10