The Monday Blues Are Real Heres How to Beat Them, According to a Doctor

The Monday Blues Are Real Heres How to Beat Them, According to a Doctor Its Sunday night. Youre feeling full, youre relaxed, and youre binge-watching Outlander.But in the morning, it will be Monday, and you know what that means.It means Monday morning blues for realIn fact, a recent Monster poll found most of us (76 percent) have something we can call anticipatory anxiety just thinking about Monday morning. Here are a few quotes Ive collected over time from people Ive spoken to about the Monday bluesOn Sunday, I start to wrench up about four pm to seven pm, and its a lot tougher to go to sleep than on a Friday night.It is more the anticipation of the whole work week ahead of you and the commute, getting the kids out to school, and just getting back into everything you have to do.Commuting is the worst. The traffic on a Monday morning is just unbearable.For me, its just anxiety of the separation from the children and getting back to the whole work week and running around at 100 mile s per hour.Im going through IVF. Just imagine what Monday is like knowing I have to squeeze in all the appointments while Im on a hormonal rollercoasterWe go from no schedule to an overloaded schedule and thats just the kids I have to make sure they get to everything and then home and I have to do it from the office And then theres my schedule.The worst parte about Mondays is just getting back into the grind. I mean, getting up early, taking the train from New Jersey, and putting in a good 14 or 15 hours away from home.If you are thinking this cant be healthy, well youre right. Researchers say that Mondays can be so stressful that they can actually be hazardous to your health.Here are a few symptoms you may feel if you have the Monday bluesBlood pressure jumps.Respiratory issues may get worse, especially for people who have asthma and allergies, because they go back into pollution.Morning headaches are more likely.Brain fog is reported.Moodiness increases.Those who work primarily from home, including full-time homemakers, say they often feel more down and depressed on Mondays because they lose adult company.Lastly, a recent Swedish study found that most heart attacks happen on Mondays. The study tracked 156,000 hospital admissions for a heart attack over seven years, and found an 11 percent increase in first-time heart attack risk for Mondays.Lets talk about how to avoid the Monday morning crash and achieve better health. 1. First, plan ahead.When your sense of control goes up, stress goes down. Your Monday blues are likely worse if you are going through something you cant control, like fertility treatment, a parents illness, or project deadlines. Clear out your inbox, clear off your desk, and do your least favorite errands on Friday, because its too easy to put work off until Monday and then start the week overwhelmed.2. Next, make lists.Lots of lists, for two reasons. One, because items on a list dont have to be remembered and remembering is very distracti ng and takes a lot of psychological energy. Second, because items on a list can be checked off which feels good.3. Try to get up at the same time on the weekends as you would on the weekdays, no matter what time you go to sleep.Every hour of disrupted wake-up time adds a full day of readjustment to your circadian rhythms (body clock), mood and alertness.4. Then, before you get out of bed on Monday morning, take five minutes to do progressive relaxation.Start by relaxing your toes, then your feet, then calves and thighs and so forth to the top of your head. It will elend only unwind your anticipatory anxiety, but it will also remind you how you feel when you are not stressed and, make you more likely to recognize and stop stress when it begins to creep up on you.5. Pace yourself.If you weave more exercise, pauses and play into the work week, the contrast with your weekend wont be as great. If you cant give yourself permission to do all this, I give you permission, because Mondays are here to stay.