How to Avoid Manic Monday?
It was a lazy Sunday and the weekend will be over soon.
You started to feel the anxiety looming over the new workweek.
Mentally taking note of what needs to be done. You turn the radio on and even the nostalgia of the Sunday’s classic music isn’t helping at all.
Queueing a familiar electro-synth pop Bangle’s song on the radio reminded you that Sunday will be over soon and it’s going to be another Manic Monday.
It’s just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
’Cause that’s my fun day
My “I don’t have to run” day
It’s just another manic Monday
Here are my top 3 tips on how to survive the Manic Monday syndrome.
Okay, I just called it a Manic Monday syndrome but it has a more formal name — being overwhelmed.
Tip # 1: Be Present
We tend to be overwhelmed when we start to become anxious about what tomorrow will bring. Being present involves being fully engaged in the current moment without judgment. It means paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and sensations in a non-reactive way. When you are present, you are fully aware of your experiences as they unfold.
Letting go of an intrusive thought is not an easy task for people suffering from OCD, but with meditation, I become more aware when I am struggling with intrusive thoughts.
Some techniques to cultivate presence include:
- Mindfulness meditation: Engaging in regular meditation practices can help train the mind to be more present and focused.
- Deep breathing exercises: Taking slow, deep breaths can anchor you to the present moment and calm the mind.
- Engaging your senses: Pay attention to the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations around you to ground yourself in the present.
- Journal. Journaling is a powerful tool for self-discovery, personal growth, and emotional processing. Journaling helps in increasing self-awareness, emotional release, gratitude, and positivity.
Tip # 2: Visualize What Success For The Week Looks Like For You
Visualizing success for the week can be a powerful technique to stay motivated and reduce the eventuality of being overwhelmed.
These are some ideas on how to visualize success for the week:
- Set SMART goals that can be achieved in a week. Break down goals into smaller tasks to reduce complexity. Complexity is often a factor in being overwhelmed. Set some time to organize and prioritize the tasks identified.
- Define milestones for each set goal and how to celebrate small wins for the week.
- Plan your wardrobe for the week.
Tip # 3: Have a Mental Rest
When was the last time you had a mental rest?
When was the last time you emptied your mind and let go of your thoughts? I have OCD — I have intrusive thoughts from time to time. These thoughts suck the energy out of me, leaving me overwhelmed at most times. But I discipline myself to identify these thoughts, write them down and let go.
When was the last time you had a digital detox?
There are times that I didn’t notice how my Sunday ebbed away and I was still scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest. The feeling of workweek overwhelmed started to creep in when I realized that I have used up so much time scrolling on all those social media.
These are some ideas to do a mental rest:
- Cold showers at night
- I like stretching before hitting up the bed
- Reading a physical book (I avoid using Kindle at night)
- If you can, try the 24-hour no social media — I do this every 4 weeks.
Surviving a Manic Monday Syndrome is not as easy as following tips 1,2, and 3 — it needs awareness on our part. After the awareness comes to the acceptance that there are things and circumstances that will overwhelm us, whether it’s a new workweek or a new project. We need to integrate mindfulness practices to manage our anxiety and improve our ability to cope with uncertainty. Mindfulness will help bring us back to a state of balance and clarity that would lead us to a more centered and empowered approach to life.
Try all these three tips and let me know how they helped you survive the Manic Monday syndrome.
