Avoiding the Monday Morning Mood Swing

Imagine what Monday mornings would feel like if you actually loved your job.

About a month ago I had a conversation with Kathleen Jeanty of InnerLeaf Communications who absolutely loves what she does. According to her, she is so passionate about her work in marketing and communications if she won the lottery, she said she would use her money to make her business better. Now that’s someone who loves their work and as a result she loves her life. Now imagine that she was your marketing partner, promoting your brand, company or product. I guarantee you that her clients not only enjoy the results she brings them, but the process as well because they are working with someone who genuinely loves what they do.

If you are not blessed with a reality of loving or even liking what you do, you may be prone to Monday morning mood swings. I’ll describe how it works. From Friday COB (close of business) to Monday rising time – life looks pretty good. But as you begin preparing for the daily grind, a transformation begins: your temper becomes shorter, your energy level deflates, and your thoughts become consumed with figuring out how you are going to make it to lunch. You start thinking about the tasks and people you want to avoid or how you can defend yourself against missed deadlines or another round of undeserved criticism.

Even though the Monday morning mood swing starts on Monday, it lasts through out the rest of the week. It may dissipate a little once you leave work, but chances are it influences your attitude and energy level until the TGIF milestone.

If you can’t leave the job you hate, love the job you’re with.

You may not have the  immediate option to leave your current job for something that feeds your passion, but there are alternatives to allowing your dissatisfaction to dictate your quality of life during the work week.  Here are a few suggestions to keep Monday morning mood swings at bay:

• Prepare the night before by reading or listening to positive affirmations.
• Be grateful: find one thing you can appreciate about your current work life.
• Create and implement your own professional development plan.
• Stop putting off tasks and people. The longer you delay, the heavier these things will seem with each passing day.
• Make a game  of it. Challenge yourself by creating a few fun personal goals. For example, see how many  phone calls you can return in 30 minutes, or time your self to see how fast you can complete a task, try to beat  your record the next time you have to do the task.
• Determine the purpose of your job right now. Is your job funding your side hustle, allowing you to care for your family, providing an opportunity for you to learn something?
• Surround your workspace with positive thoughts. Your screen saver, mouse pad, favorite coffee cup are great places to have inspirational messages if you are  limited with what you can post on your cube or walls.
• Plan for a power break. A power break is a 10 minute session that allows you to recharge. It could mean taking a short walk, reading an article to pick up a few new ideas, connecting with a colleague, sending an email to someone in your network. Anything that gives you a chance to change your routine.
• In the background, start  putting together an exit strategy. Even if you are not ready to leave for a new job, just knowing that you have a plan alleviates feelings of being trapped or locked-in to your present situation.

Your Monday morning moods won’t change overnight, but proactively working towards a different outcome puts you on the path to a career you can live with even if you can’t love it.

Tagged as: Attitude, career advice, career help, exit strategy, options, Social Networking, tips