Looking forward to Monday is within Your Reach

“Argh! It’s Monday,” is a thought that has run across all our minds. The dreaded day of fear. A whole five days of work that we must get through to get to the weekend. When the weekend does arrive a few blinks later it’s Sunday night and we’re stuck with thoughts of dread.

You may have a twinge of this feeling right now. You are probably rehashing memories that only build more fear.

Building on positive work thoughts

You must take the time to see those little details that bring happiness into your work life. Let’s say it’s Sunday night and you’re sitting in front of the TV and you experience your first thought of “Aw crap! I have to wake up early and go to work.” What usually happens next is we build on top of this thought like, “I’ve got a report due that I’m not close to finishing” or, “I have to attend a boring meeting.” These thoughts stir up stressful emotions, and this cycle just continues throughout the night until we go to bed. Most of us try to ignore these thoughts through distractions like food, TV, and the Internet. They only distract for a little while until the thoughts start coming back. It’s up to you to change this habit and create positive thoughts that lead to better feelings.

Four Steps to Feeling Positive While Relaxing on a Sunday (day off)

Step 1 – Watch your negative thoughts

When negative thoughts arise, watch what happens. Does your body start feeling anxious or weak? Your first reaction may be to avoid these thoughts, so you reach for a snack or switch the channel on the TV, hoping to refocus your attention on something enjoyable. Once you notice this happening you can replace this habit with something more productive.

Step 2 – Add a positive thought

After that negative thought happens and you notice it, this is where your mental muscle will come into play. You must stop building on this negative thought and create a positive thought that will help you see something that you like about Monday morning. Maybe it’s your morning workout or seeing your best work friend and rehashing the weekend.

Step 3 – Build on positive thoughts

Now that you’ve created this positive thought, you can build upon it with another positive thought that applies to work such as, I’ve got a chance to improve my report or make a customer happy. “This will steer your mind in the right direction to help you see Monday as an opportunity instead of an obstacle.

Step 4 – Relax with this feeling

Take the time to feel your sensations after you have implemented this new process. You’ll probably notice that there is an enjoyable calm. This feeling is proof that this 4-step process works.

This may seem a little basic, but it works. Sometimes we have to get back to the core of our emotional state so we can make lasting improvements that actually work instead of applying some band-aid that eventually needs to be ripped off and causes more pain. I’ve used this technique to help improve my mood many times, and it has always been a success.

You have a great opportunity to make your Sunday (day off) a pleasant experience instead of mentally torturous, but this 4-step process won’t happen overnight. I still struggle to enjoy some Sunday nights, but on the whole I enjoy almost all of them now and I’ve been able to feel a twinge of enjoyable anticipation for Monday because I’ve learned to create curiosity for what the day will bring.