I do agree with the above strategies to reduce anxiety when it comes to starting a new work week. However, I starting thinking about why people might have anxiety about Monday. Maybe the thought of having to go into work after having two days off is a difficult adjustment, both physically and mentally. In contrast, the question to ponder is if Tuesdays any better. One may also wonder how it could be that the mentality that so many members of the blue & white collar workforces might dread Mondays more than, perhaps, going to the dentist for a root canal or cleaning the entire kitchen floor with a toothbrush (Souza, Camila; 2014). According to an article written by Anna Roboton of CBS.News.com, somewhere between 60 to 70 percent of the American work forces hates their job, period (Roboton, Anna; 2018). The depressing macroeconomic-scale of disgruntled workers aside, I still think our anxiety comes from our perception. For instance, I remember the Garfield comics and other memorabilia that seemed to encourage our society to continue hating Mondays (Drum, Nicole, 2017).
In the format of spiritual as well as logical reasoning, my goal is to encourage a different perspective:
1. Psalm 118:24, KJV: "This is the day the Lord has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it". I do not see 'except Monday'.
2. A person having to work on Mondays means that person has a job. Maybe it may not be the easiest job in the world, but at least it supplies the means to support a family and improves one's chances of getting a different job. Managers who do the hiring usually do not like to see periods of unemployment.
3. A significant amount of the work force may not have consecutive days off. In fact, in a logistical sense, companies that are open 24/7 have to allocate human resources to cover every shift, every day... Even on Holidays, (based on the type of company, e.g., transportation)
4. Every day is as good as the example we set and perspective we have... One does not have to be a leader or manager to set a good tone.
5. Some of the work force,
including yours truly, has to work on Sunday. My days off are actually Friday and Saturday. Having to go in to work right after getting out of Church was a hard adjustment because I work second shift.
So, my encouragement is that one should still find ways to deal with anxiety in preparation for Monday... But I ask that we start to consider all of the positive aspects of Monday. I ask for us to have courage to have a smile on our faces and share our friendly behavior, no matter what day we graciously find ourselves in.
Resources:
Drum, Nicole (2017). Retrieved from:
https://comicbook.com/comics/2018/02/19/why-garfield-hates-mondays-fan-theory/
Robaton, Anna (2018). Retrieved from:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-so-many-americans-hate-their-jobs/
Souza, Camila (Published Dec. 2014). Retrieved from:
https://tech.co/science-can-explain-hate-mondays-2014-12
Editing notes: Corrected a few typos & grammar issues.