For centuries students have dreaded the beginning of the week, the awful reminder that the weekend is over, with no more free time, relaxation or sleeping in. the day that starts it all, the day that eventually becomes monotonous, with a lack of energy is what people like to call: monday.
Across a variety of grade levels and academic institutions, students share a similar point-of- view when it comes to waking up on a monday morning to start a different, yet similar routine. But the day that has often been dreaded is now changing as students develop habitual activities to simply beat the “monday blues.”
Kayla limimois, senior psychology major, focuses on the positive factors that a new week brings. this along with a set of different activities has changed her outlook on the start of a new week.
“What makes mondays better for me is realizing it’s a brand new start. The beginning of a new week; it’s easy to focus on all the negative things that monday brings, like another work week, more classes, the end of a weekend, but with all that comes the opportunity to start fresh all over again, every monday,” Liminois said.
This along with prayer have changed her mind about the start of a new week.
“A typical thing i try to remember is to start everyday with prayer. It’s so important and makes a huge difference in, not only my day, but my attitude for sure.” Liminois exclaimed.
Phillip Cothran, senior business administration major, relieves stress by setting up several games of a variety of sports. Engaging in physical activity helps the body regain energy and be more alert.
“Whether it be ultimate frisbee, football or soccer, it helps shake the monday blues as well as a stress reliever,” Cothran said. “If the weather doesn’t permit for those, my roommate and i have a get together with some friends at our place, where we all go get Brisco’s and bring it back to the apartment to watch movies or just socialize with one another.”
What about the students that have busier schedules? Those who cannot just sit back and relax, have a movie night or go to Disneyland on a whim to make mondays more enticing?
If that is your case, there certainly is a remedy. Avoiding procrastination can help relieve some of the stress that comes along with starting the week through new assignments.
Jean Kwizera, senior mathematics major, ends the week by starting homework assignments due during the start of the week to prevent and avoid extreme levels of stress.
“I don’t say ‘Thank God it is Friday’ to mean that I am glad there is no class or I am going to be away from academic work. In contrary, friday to me is a time to prepare the next week; time to do a recapitulation of the ending week and work on my assignments,” Kwizera said.
Through keeping schedules balanced, making sure to avoid stress by completing assignments on time and getting enough sleep to start off the next week joyfully students beat the monday blues.
“My advice would be a perspective change. If we turn it around to realize that the beginning of a new week is exciting, with new opportunities, new things to learn, new people to encounter, and new ways to serve the lord and grow, there’s no way we could dread Mondays,” Anna Hickey, senior psychology major, said.
So there it is, the key to open the door to beat the monday blues. While some students follow similar routines, they often find there is more to a monday than they imagined. the thought that it is a day closer to the weekend, however, has yet to change.
