Monday Motivation – 5 Changes You Might Need to Make to Wake Up Excited

Today is another Monday. For some, Mondays signal the awesome beginning to another week. For others, it signals, “oh well, time to go back to work.” For far, far too many, it signals, “oh damn! I can’t believe the weekend is over and I have to go back to that place!”

Take a second and think back to this morning. How did you wake up today?

Now think back over the past few Mondays. How did you wake up on those days?

I’m not saying you have to be one of those people who leaps out of bed, throws open the drapes, and starts singing to the birds about how amazing life is (frankly, those people scare me just a bit).

However, if you meet Monday mornings regularly with a sense of sadness, regret, annoyance, exhaustion anger, or anxiety, then it may be time to make a few changes:

1) Change Your Diet/Fitness Routine

I’ll admit it: part of the reason I am writing this post is that I woke up a bit unmotivated and sluggish today. And I can tell you with 99% certainty that it is because of poor eating and an utter lack of working out (I have been traveling and recovering from an injury. See, I’m pretty good at making excuse too…).

The older I get, the more obvious it becomes to me just how ginormous an impact my eating and exercise habits have on my overall energy level. The healthier I eat and the more I workout (without overtraining or injuring myself) the more energy I have not only to get out of bed, but also to keep going all day long.

It also boosts my mood, creativity, and productivity.

So yeah, if you’re waking up in a sour mood on Monday mornings, you may not need to quit your job and become a Buddhist; you just might need to eat a few veggies and start taking some long walks…

2) Change Your Job

The most common cause (in my opinion and experience) of a lack of Monday morning motivation is job dissatisfaction.

Pretty obvious right? If you don’t like your job, then the weekend will be awesome and Monday will suck. I know when I had a job I hated I used to stay up as late as possible every night because I wanted to avoid the prospect of waking up to go back to work…

Every job has its ups and downs. Feeling “blah” about work from time to time is ok. However, if you wake up every Monday feeling depressed about having to go back to the office, well then it’s time for a change,

Yes, it’s a tough job market, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start looking. Life is too short to toil away at a job that makes you miserable for years just so you can eventually retire and then start enjoying yourself.

If this is you, then start looking for a better opportunity now. It takes work, and it may take time, but the long term payoff to your sanity and well being are well worth it (even if it requires a small pay cut).

3) Change Your Nighttime Routine

What do you do right before you go to bed at night? Could that be setting you up for a slow, sluggish, and sad morning the next day?

Some people spend their Sunday nights checking work emails, planning out the week, and stressing over all the things they need to do. If these are your last thoughts before bed, then it’s no wonder you wake up unhappy.

Try to come up with a calmer and happier nighttime routine. Let stressful thoughts go as you have some pleasant conversation, read a good (non-stress inducing) book, or listen to a meditation audio. Personally I often let ideas for stories and novels flow through my head. Those are side projects that make me happy, and it’s fun to use that pre-bed time to build those ideas.

Avoid stuff that stresses you out late at night (especially Sundays). Rough conversations, work issues, bills, etc. Ease into your sleep so you can wake up more energized.

4) Change Your Morning Routine

What do you have to look forward to in the morning?

A lot of people’s morning routine is to shut off the alarm, hop in the shower, grab a bite to eat(maybe), and rush out the door. Or they do all that plus get the kids ready for school/daycare/etc.

If that’s all you are doing in the morning, it’s no wonder you don’t wake up excited.

It may be hard, especially if you are not an early riser, but try to make time to do something you enjoy first thing in the morning. Take a short walk, read a book you like, do some yoga, chat with your spouse, etc.

I can’t tell you what it is; you have to find something that works for you. And it has to be something you look forward to doing. If you try to force yourself to wake up earlier to do a workout you hate, that’s just going to be one more thing to dread.

Do what you love, do it first thing in the morning, and you’ll find yourself a lot more motivated to get out of bed, even on Monday.

5) Change Your Environment

Sometimes you don’t have to change what you are doing or how you are doing it, but rather you need to change the environment you are doing it in.

I have a friend who was born and raised in the Northeast U.S. One day she realized that the weather (and, to be honest, the close proximity to both her and her husband’s families) was making her incredibly unhappy. Within a short period of time she moved to Phoenix, Arizona and has been ridiculously happy ever since.

I am not saying that you need to move across the country to wake up happier. However, changing your environment can have a big impact on your disposition.

Changing your environment can come in many forms, big and small:

• You can, as my friend did, move to a new city
• You can simply rearrange or redecorate your room
• You can move into a new house or apartment
• You can de-clutter and clean up your existing space (this can have a big impact)

This is a simple but potentially powerful approach. Try making some small changes in your environment and see what that does to your Monday Morning Motivation…

In Conclusion

Obviously, you can apply this question to any morning of the week, not just Mondays. Mondays just have a little more emotional heft to them; if you can wake up with a little pep and excitement on Mondays, then the rest of the days should fall right into line.

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About

By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

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