I used to dread Monday. Sunday at about 4 o’clock the Monday depression would set in and ruin what was left of a perfectly good weekend! It also ruined the beginning of what could have been a perfectly good week! It helped when I was able to quit working outside of the home, but Monday was still hard. I knew I had a million chores to do, school had to be done, Ryan would go back to work, and we sometimes would all suffer from over exhaustion and be super grumpy.
About a year ago I was so tired of feeling that way. I had the realization that though my goal is to live a life of gratitude and joy…my attitude towards the Monday grind was quite the opposite! So, I began to make some changes! It took awhile for me to get into a solid routine…but now I rarely have a bad Monday! In fact…it is my favorite day of the week! These are some of the changes I made in my routine.
1. I started getting up earlier on Mondays. Before, I would sleep a little later on Monday mornings, and then we would get a later start on everything…and in this house that just doesn’t work well! I am fortunate to have late sleeping kids, so as long as I get out of bed right when I wake up, I have a couple hours all to myself before the kids wake up! I know that isn’t the case for everyone…sorry!
2. The next thing I do is go straight to my kitchen and bleach my sink. Weird…I know. But seriously…there is nothing like a shiny, clean sink to set the week off right! I’m pretty sure I picked that up from www.flylady.net! After I clean my sink, I hit the rest of the kitchen and make sure it is pretty and clean! By this time, I’m usually wide awake and feeling pumped up! Doing things makes you want to do MORE things! It’s like a domino effect! Then I head downstairs to start a load of laundry. Some days I’m not feeling awake by this point, so I stop and make a cup of coffee and then drink it while I shower. “Shower coffee” is second only to “Christmas tree gazing coffee”…trust me, you should be doing this! I have found for me that if I sit with a cup of coffee on a Monday morning, I can pretty much count on not feeling any more awake an hour later than I was when I sat down! But…if I drink my coffee in the shower, with some French music on Pandora…I am ready for the week in no time!
3. I make my bed and run through the house just doing quick tidy jobs in each of the main rooms. I use this time of quiet to give up prayers of gratitude. I literally say thank you for almost everything I touch and every chore I do. By the time I’m done…I feel so overcome with joy and humble gratitude for simply being alive, having my health, having a safe home, having a loving family, and for cute little drawings that are scattered around the house…I could go on and on! 
4. The kids are getting up now and I feel so good…and when I greet them with a genuine smile, I can be pretty sure that they will start off the week in a good mood, too! And happy kids, is the definately the key to a happy homeschool day!
5. On Mondays I try to tackle one extra project, like cleaning out the cabinet under my kitchen sink or wiping down the open shelving in my kitchen…that sort of thing. Don’t make crazy big goals, that will only make you feel like you failed if you don’t get them done. Just pick one…and if you move on to a second one, it’s just a bonus!
6. But here it is…this is the biggest factor in ensuring my week starts off on the right foot! I don’t make any plans outside my home! Unless I just have to, we do not leave our property! We spend the day getting things prepared for the rest of the week, getting extra school done (because Tuesday is a busy day), and the kids play for hours uninterrupted!
Now, for those of you who work outside the home…I know that might not be possible. Maybe there is a different day of the week that you can write “not leaving the house” on your calendar and make that day your weekly reset day? Spend that day focused on the simple things of the home and enjoying your family in an unhurried way! And if you simply can’t schedule a day to stay home…then just do your best to figure out a way to simplify your day and fill every spare moment acknowledging your blessings so there is just no room for complaining!
Do you have a favorite day of the week or a dreaded day of the week? I would love to hear what things you do to combat depression or anxiety on the bad days! Use my comment section, share some ideas, and let’s chat!
-Vanessa
