Monday Is Coming!

Monday is coming every single week, whether we feel ready or not, and that’s exactly why we stop treating it like an enemy. We talk about the real roots of Monday dread and why “living for the weekend” quietly steals your life one week at a time. If you’ve ever felt that heavy, anxious pull on Sunday night or struggled to get out of bed, we name what’s going on and give you a way forward.

We break down disania and the most common drivers behind the Monday morning blues: job dissatisfaction, sleep debt, lack of weekend recovery, stress that never powers down, and even tension with coworkers or leadership. Then we shift into practical, doable fixes that help you feel more in control. Planning your week ahead reduces uncertainty, and creating “Monday meetups” adds connection and joy where you least expect it.

The biggest lever is gratitude, and we make it concrete: don’t reach for your phone when you wake up. Take a mental inventory of a few things you appreciate, and consider saying it out loud to lock it in. To build a consistent morning routine, we share three tools that reinforce a healthier mindset: gratitude journaling with real specifics, mindful meditation with supports and digital resources, and positive affirmations that you actually believe. We also cover neuroplasticity, stress reduction, and why affirmations work best when they’re backed by aligned action.

If you’re tired of dreading Mondays, listen now and choose one practice you’ll start tomorrow morning. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s the first change you’re willing to make this week?

Transcript

Monday Is Coming Regardless

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Well, my friends, I hate to break this news to you, but Monday is coming every single week, whether you're ready or not. The question is, are you going to let the calendar control your mood or are you going to take the wheel? I'm your host, Corey Kennard, and on the Do to Expire podcast today, we are ending the cycle of living for the weekend and learning how to start to live for every single day, including Mondays. Now, let's grow.energy That's no negative, all one phrase, dot energy.

Why Mondays Feel So Heavy

SPEAKER_00 1:21

Now what is the fear of Mondays? The fear of any day, with Monday probably being the most popular, is also known as disania, which is a psychological phenomenon that causes a person to experience extreme difficulty in waking up and getting out of bed in the morning. It is often associated with feelings of anxiety, depression, and dread about the upcoming week. Now there may be a number of factors that serve as the cause of feeling panicked about Mondays. Things like job dissatisfaction. This may be the biggest contributing factor when you really look at it. I have never heard from an employee or business owner who absolutely loves what they do say that they just hate getting up to prepare for the workday or business day that lies ahead. However, if you're unhappy with your job, it's no wonder you dread going to work on Monday or any other day for that matter. Also, if you're not getting enough sleep, you're more likely to feel tired and sluggish on Monday morning. And you may feel what we call the Monday morning blues. But this may also have a lot to do with the fun that you had over the weekend. And now you're tired and you need more recovery time between Sunday and Monday. Maybe we'll call it Sunday and a half or pre-Munday. But guess what? That doesn't exist, and that's not reality. Furthermore, if you're worried about interacting with your coworkers or your boss for that matter, because of different working styles or feeling like everyone is against you, you may dread going to work. And then there is the six-letter profane word called, wait for it, stress. If you're stressed out about work or other aspects of your life, it can make it difficult to relax on the weekend and enjoy your time off. So a lack of weekend recovery from the previous week coupled with stress will impact your desire to get started with a new week on a Monday.

The Real Causes Behind Dread

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So, how can we overcome this fear of Mondays? So we gotta overcome this somehow. There are a number of things you can do to overcome this ugly fear. But let me share just a few of them. This list is not exhaustive, but it's something that I've used and hopefully it can work for

Plan The Week To Lower Anxiety

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you. Number one, plan your week ahead of time. Sometimes we move into a Monday with no idea what the rest of the week will look like. When you don't have a plan, you have to accept what happens without any control. This can create anxiety in and of itself. And then also, here's something that I think will really be effective if you implement it. Spend time with people you enjoy on a Monday. You can make Mondays more enjoyable by creating what I call Monday meetups. This is a time to meet with those who bring joy to your life. This will give you, as well as those you enjoy spending time with, something to look forward to on Mondays.

Make Mondays Something To Enjoy

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However, the biggest thing I want to share with you is to start every day, including Mondays, with gratitude. Starting your day with gratitude can significantly impact your overall mood, your focus, and your well-being. So here are some keys that can help you to cultivate this practice. Number one, upon waking up, don't reach for your phone. Don't do it. Let me say it again. When you wake up, don't reach for your phone. Resist the urge to immediately check emails or social media. Instead, take a few moments while still in bed to think of things you're grateful for. Your email and your text messages and social media will all be there

Gratitude Before Your Phone

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waiting for you after you express gratitude for an opportunity to live another day. A way to carry this out is to take a mental inventory by silently listing in your mind maybe three to five things you appreciate. These can be big or small. Your health, your children, your spouse, your creator, a loving relationship, a warm bed that you do not want to get out of, a sunny day, your pet, or anything else that you feel grateful for. Or you can just forget the silent thing altogether and say it out loud. I'm grateful and I'm proud. Say that with me. I'm grateful and I'm proud. You see, expressing your gratitude out loud, maybe even while looking at yourself in the mirror, can help you feel more grateful. And it can feel more real and impactful. Now, number two, this is something that you need to prepare to make a consistent part of your morning routine. You cannot expect a change to happen just by doing this gratitude thing every once in a while. Just like you routinely shower, hopefully. Just like you routinely brush your teeth, hopefully. Just like you routinely make coffee and you get dressed and consciously think and speak about the things you appreciate, and incorporate this practice into your morning routine with all of these other things.

Build A Routine That Sticks

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Now, there are three tools that I use to maintain consistency with my practice of cultivating gratitude, and I want to share these with you. They are journaling, mindful meditation, and the use of positive affirmations. If you love writing like I do, journaling is something that can be done without feeling like it's a chore. It is also best done by

Journaling With Specific Gratitude

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literally writing and not typing. There is something special called the hand-head-heart relationship, where when you're writing something, it not only gets into your head, but it also gets into your heart because you're physically involved with shaping those letters and those words. Journaling is best done by keeping a notebook by your bed or in your work briefcase or your bag or a school backpack and spending at least five minutes writing down what you're grateful for. When you do this, remember to go beyond the surface by being specific. Instead of just writing, uh, I'm grateful for my family. Why don't you rephrase it and write something like this? I love the way that my partner always makes me laugh. Instead of just writing, I'm grateful for my job. Think about specific aspects you appreciate about your job, your colleagues, the challenges that help you grow, the opportunity to contribute by having a positive impact on another person's life. These are all things where when you begin to get specific about them, they create a stronger impact on you. You can also write down positive moments or things you were grateful for from the previous day. Was there something that you did that made a difference? Was there a person you helped? If you made a mistake or did something wrong, what did you learn from it? This helps you recognize the good in your daily life.

Mindful Meditation Tools That Help

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Mindful meditation is also another great tool to use. Many guided meditations focus on gratitude. Even a few minutes of mindful breathing while focusing on feelings of thankfulness can be powerful. Some tips for mindful meditation are, number one, using comfortable physical supports like sitting pillows and cushions, mats, or blankets that can help provide comfortable elevation for your hips, which can help align your spine and reduce strain on your knees and ankles during seated meditation. An alternative to these could be a chair or a bench that allows you to sit in a comfortable position while providing further support for your spine. You can also tap into some great digital resources like meditation apps. There are many out there that offer guided meditations for various needs, stress, sleep, anxiety, focus, you name it. And they all can come in different lengths and experience levels. Many include features like progress tracking, reminders, and community forums. Then there are guided meditation recordings. Many meditation teachers and organizations offer free or paid audio recordings that you can download or stream. Platforms like SoundCloud or YouTube and other websites of meditation centers are good resources to utilize. Other things to explore during mindful meditation are the use of singing bowls. These are bowls which produce resonant sounds and vibrations that can promote relaxation and focus. Also, nature sounds like rain, ocean waves, or forest sounds can create a calming atmosphere for meditation. And then their soothing music. Instrumental music, specifically designed for relaxation and meditation, can really help to quiet the mind. Very different from hip hop or rock or other genres that get you pumped up and going. These types of instrumentals can help you to relax and begin to take in the day.

Affirmations And Neuroplasticity

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Finally, using positive affirmations can have a huge impact on your daily outlook, especially on Mondays. Affirmations are positive statements that you consciously repeat to yourself with the goal of influencing your thoughts, your feelings, and ultimately your behavior. They can have a significant impact on your mood in several ways. They can counteract negative self-talk. You see, we have to get into the mode of interrupting these negative cycles. Negative thoughts can create a downward spiral, leading to feelings of sadness, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Affirmations act as an intervention, helping to break these cycles by introducing positive alternatives. And then we must seek to replace limiting beliefs. I cannot say this enough. We often hold subconscious beliefs about ourselves that are negative and self-limiting. Let's see if these sound familiar. Or I always fail. Consistent affirmation of positive counterstatements like I am capable, or I learn from my experiences, can gradually challenge and weaken these ingrained negative beliefs. And then there needs to be a shift of your focus. Directing attention away from the negative to the positive. Our minds tend to dwell on problems and worries more than anything else. Affirmations intentionally direct your focus towards positive aspects of your life, yourself, and your potential. This shift in attention can naturally lead to a more optimistic outlook and improved mood. And then affirmations can activate brain regions associated with positive emotion. Research suggests that repeated positive affirmations can actually create new neural pathways in the brain. This is known as neuroplasticity. The more you repeat positive statements, the stronger these pathways become, making positive thoughts and feelings more automatic and frequent. Now I must say this: that when you speak these types of statements, you must believe them so that they can get into your subconscious mind. There must be a positive emotion attached to these statements. And then positive affirmations can reduce stress and anxiety. Additional research indicates that affirmations can help reduce levels of cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone. By promoting a sense of self-worth and capability, affirmations can buffer against the negative impacts of stress on your mood. So positive affirmations like I am calm, I am in control, or I handle stress with ease, can help to soothe the nervous system and instill a sense of inner peace during challenging times.

Make Affirmations Believable And Real

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Now, I do not want to mislead you in any way. So I must tell you this. It is important to know that positive affirmations are not some sort of magic trick that will change your perspective about Mondays or any other day just because you speak them. You see, while it's good to stretch your belief, start with affirmations that feel at least somewhat initially believable. If an affirmation feels completely false, or if it doesn't feel relatable to you in any way, it becomes harder to internalize. Also, less general and more specific affirmations related to your personal goals and challenges can be more impactful. Another important factor is that saying affirmations with genuine feeling and visualizing the impact of the positive outcome can strengthen their effect. This is what I meant when I said you have to believe it and get it into your subconscious. It is your subconscious mind that will begin to drive how you act. It will begin to drive how you feel. But if you do not believe it, your subconscious mind will not accept it and act on it. A great book to read regarding this is The Power of the Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy. I recommend that book to you. Ultimately, affirmations in and of themselves are powerful, but they work best when combined with positive actions that support your affirmations.

Consistency And Habit Anchors

SPEAKER_00 19:33

So, in summary, using these three tools that I love to use journaling, mindful meditation, and the use of positive affirmations to cultivate gratitude can put you on the right path when facing the panic of Mondays. Remember, consistency is the key. Even a short burst of gratitude practice done consistently can be far more effective than infrequent longer affirmation sessions. Initially, you might need to set a reminder on your phone or device to prompt your gratitude practice. And that's perfectly fine. Just be consistent. And when engaging in these practices, try to anchor them to something you already do every morning, like drinking your first cup of coffee or tea or water or whatever you do. Whatever you do consistently, attach these practices to it.

Reflect And Choose What Changes

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In conclusion, the panic associated with Mondays, the fear of Mondays, the dread of Mondays, is a common experience. But it doesn't have to control your life. By following these tips in this episode, you can learn to overcome the stress of Mondays and start enjoying your life again, regardless of whatever day it might be. So right now, reflect on your life. Are you prioritizing what truly matters? Are you acting with intention or letting time slip away? Decide today which ideas from this podcast you will begin to implement into your daily routine and go after it like your life depends on it. Because it does. Since we are all due to expire, the question is what will you do with your life between now and then? Thank you for listening. I'm your host, Corey Kennard.