How I Cope with The Misery of Monday Mornings

I’m not a fan of Monday mornings. Every Sunday evening after a glorious weekend of family time and sleeping in, I get what I call the “Sunday Night Blues.” It dates back to my single days when I used to have a summer share in Fire Island. As we’d board the ferry on Friday evenings after work, we’d leave our stressful work weeks and boy troubles behind on the dock. We all would have this feeling of total relaxation as we floated towards the island. Life was simple there. No need for fancy clothes–or even shoes. Our biggest stresses were 1) what to eat for dinner every night and 2) how to fit in a nap and bike ride before dinner.

Then, Sunday night would roll around. My friends and I would procrastinate packing up and heading back to the city. We would wait until the last moment to head over to the ferry and back to our hectic city lives. I remember returning on Sunday evenings to my dark, empty apartment and feeling completely lonely and blue.

Now, 15 years later living in NJ with 3 young children, my Sunday night blues are a result of anticipation of our hectic, over-scheduled Mondays. The dread starts to set in as I pull out lunch boxes for the next day, sign homework folders and write up my schedule for the week. On Monday mornings, as I shove food as I frantically push the kids out the door kicking and screaming with their overstuffed backpacks dragging, I hear Karen Carpenter’s lovely, lilting voice singing, “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down….” They do! All I think about during the final chaotic 5 minutes before they leave is, “Get your stuff and get the hell out of my house so I can think again. You’re all making me nuts!”

When I was a kid, I remember one of my mother’s friends saying, “I need to take to my bed.” At the time, I thought she was sick. Now I understand. She had 4 kids, a husband who worked long hours and a half-blind dog. Sometimes, the only place in the house to have a moments peace is unconscious in your bed.

This is my first year in 11 years with all 3 kids in school…all day. (Loud cheering!) Finally, I have the house to myself for a solid block of time. So I started a very indulgent ritual to help me get through the misery of Monday mornings. In fact, this single thought gives me the strength to pull myself out of bed when the alarm goes off.

Once the my kids and husband have vacated the premises, I make myself an oversized cup of coffee, grab a book and get back into bed for 30 minutes. Sometimes I’ll give myself permission to close my eyes for 30 minutes just to enjoy the silence and sort my head for the rest of the week. Somehow, that 30 minutes to myself doing something that isn’t on my to-do list, is all that I need to make the rest of my week bearable. It really is the most pleasant way to start the week. By 9:30, I’m ready to go. I suggest you try it some time.