A Case Mondayitis Coming On? Your Body Might Be Telling You Something

As the start of the working week, Monday has a bit of a bad rap. Honestly though, Monday has never really wronged you — or anyone for that matter. If you’re looking towards tomorrow with a feeling of dread, there could be more to it than a simple case of Mondayitis.

Sure, no one likes the weekend ending, but without any grounded reason or sudden change in circumstances, it’s not normal to find going to work plagued by a sense of foreboding.

In a lot of cases, it’s your brain subconsciously telling you that something more serious is going on — perhaps you’re reaching burn-out or there’s an diagnosed physical ailment behind the scenes.

Worse still, you might find yourself reluctant to talk with your manager or boss and let them know you’re struggling. However, as Steve Errey over at The Muse points out, you have to “[hear] that voice” and act on it:

Listening to your body and hearing that voice inside that knows what you need means not sticking to your regular working hours out of a sense of duty if your boss seems reluctant to let you take a break from all work to recover. If time off isn’t offered, be direct and ask for what you need — a regular work-from-home-day, two days off, maybe even an entire week out of the office.

If going straight to your boss is daunting, Errey recommends going to a colleague or friend who can provide support:

Without the care of people close to you, you’ll feel alone or anxious about dealing with it on your own. Just as I’m sure you’d want to help a friend or loved one, know that they want to be there for you too. Be brave, swallow any pride that’s holding you back, and open up about your breakdown.

Essentially, it’s about taking care of yourself, or more importantly, recognising that you need to slow down or take a breather:

… emotions are a real part of what you’re going through; they aren’t your enemy. You might find tears welling up or your breath sticking in your chest as you try to find the right words. That’s OK … take all the time that you need to breathe and steady yourself. If it helps to diffuse the drama, even call it out by saying “This is an emotional thing for me” or “The emotion catches up with me sometimes.”

Errey perspective is great on this topic, so check out his full article at The Muse below.

A Realistic Plan for Telling Your Boss That You’re Burnt Out and Need Personal Time [The Muse]