Monday Blues, Sweet Tips from Causes to Overcoming Methods
[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-kyung Lee] Do you feel strangely heavy-hearted, lose your appetite, and feel anxious every Sunday evening? This is due to 'Monday Blues,' a feeling of heaviness and depression caused by the thought of going to work or school the next day. Surprisingly, many people experience Monday Blues. Why does Monday Blues come? Let's find out how to overcome Monday Blues and greet Monday energetically without feeling depressed or burdened.
■ What is Monday Blues?
It refers to a state of fatigue and lethargy when the body, which has relaxed over the weekend, has not fully recovered, and you have to return to weekday life starting Monday. To take care of your health and start a refreshing week, it is necessary to spend Monday feeling refreshed.
■ Could I have Monday Blues?
(Check how many of the following statements apply to you currently.)
□ I prefer Saturday over Sunday during the weekend
□ I feel like I have body aches every Sunday evening
□ Before going to bed on Sunday evening, I wish tomorrow wouldn't come
□ Even on days off, I don't want to think about the company
□ My heart rate suddenly increases whenever Monday comes to mind
□ I get startled whenever I hear the word 'going to work' during the weekend
□ Sometimes I pray to fall ill and collapse because of the thought of going to work on Monday
□ On Sunday evening, I lose my appetite, have poor digestion, significantly reduce conversations with family members, and lament my own situation alone
□ I watch the weekend news carefully, hoping the name of my 'boss' won't appear due to a fire at the company or a traffic accident
□ I think I am currently having a nightmare when Monday is approaching
*Result Check
▶ 3-5 items checked: Early stage of Monday Blues
▶ 6 or more items checked: Severe Monday Blues
Monday is said to be the day when time seems to pass the slowest during the week, and the perceived stress can be greater than usual. Let's find out what symptoms appear as severe stress-related Monday Blues.
■ Common symptoms of Monday Blues?
▷ Being late every Monday morning
▷ Rarely smiling on Mondays
▷ Feeling more depressed and fatigued than usual
▷ Complaining about the company
▷ Feeling bloated and having poor digestion
▷ Unable to focus or get work done
▷ Feeling sick from the moment of commuting
▷ Not feeling happy to see colleagues at work
▷ Feeling unusually tired and sluggish compared to other days
▷ Getting stressed more easily and suddenly having headaches in certain parts of the head
▷ Grinding teeth more severely during sleep
▷ Bleeding gums or worsened menstrual pain
Why do we feel more tired and fatigued on Monday even after resting enough on the weekend? Let's carefully examine the causes of Monday Blues in daily life.
■ Causes of Monday Blues?
① Lack of sleep and disrupted biological rhythm
In fact, the biggest cause of chronic fatigue is often insufficient sleep. Most people stay up late on weekends without the burden of going to work. This disrupts the biological rhythm, causing more fatigue than usual when waking up early on Monday. To maintain the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep per day, it is best to go to bed early on Sunday evening.
② Late-night snacks or insufficient meal intake
Many people wake up late on weekends and eat meals carelessly. Irregular eating habits and insufficient food intake hinder maintaining good condition, which can worsen Monday Blues. Therefore, it is very important to avoid eating late-night snacks too late or consuming too little food in a day and to try to have balanced nutritious meals even on weekends.
③ Anemia
Anemia occurs when there are not enough blood cells, causing chronic lethargy. Especially if iron is deficient in the body, anemia is likely to appear. If you feel very sluggish and tired on weekends, it is good to consume clams, meat, or supplements at this time.
④ Food hypersensitivity or digestive disorders
Food hypersensitivity refers to discomfort after eating certain foods or drinks. In such cases, it is necessary to get a diagnosis at a hospital and stop consuming the causative foods. On the other hand, depression, tension, and burden can cause digestive disorders, so it is important to carefully observe your symptoms.
⑤ Excessive naps and sleep compensation
Sleeping a lot on weekends to compensate for lack of sleep or taking long naps changes the sleep cycle, lowers the quality of nighttime sleep on that day, and causes Monday Blues or daytime sleepiness. Naps longer than 30 minutes can disrupt the biological rhythm and have adverse effects, so it is important not to exceed 20 minutes.
■ Sweet solutions to overcome Monday Blues?
▷ Drink plenty of fluids
Fluids help clear the mind and eliminate waste, supporting smooth physiological functions. Therefore, when tired, regularly drinking warm tea or lukewarm water helps relieve Monday Blues. Especially green tea is good for stress relief and immune enhancement, so drinking it instead of coffee is also good.
▷ Eat fresh vegetables and vitamin-rich fruits
The abundant vitamins and minerals in vegetables and fruits energize the body and help recover from fatigue. Eating salad or fruits with Monday lunch helps refresh the easily drooping mood.
▷ Consume a moderate amount of chocolate snacks
Sweet foods reduce the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol and increase serotonin secretion, which improves mood. If you feel depressed all day, eating sweet chocolate desserts as a snack is a good method. Moreover, chocolate is good for depression and is recommended to eat on Monday afternoons when mood tends to be low.
▷ Do Monday work in advance on Friday and schedule appointments on Monday
Doing Monday tasks in advance on Friday, when it is easy to slack off, helps reduce the burden of Monday work. Also, instead of overbooking weekend appointments, scheduling enjoyable lunch or dinner appointments on Monday or eating foods you want helps reduce the burden and pressure of the upcoming Monday.
■ Proper daily routine to overcome Monday Blues well? ‘From weekend to Monday’ live like this!
Simply following a few lifestyle rules from the weekend to Monday helps alleviate Monday Blues symptoms. Let's learn how to live well to shake off Monday Blues and put it into practice.
Weekend ▶ Get deep sleep at night no matter what
On weekends, it is important not only to sleep an adequate amount but also to get deep sleep. For this, the sleep hormone melatonin must be secreted abundantly, which is promoted by turning off all lights and darkening the bedroom. Additionally, refraining from watching TV or using smartphones an hour before sleep and taking a shower about 20 minutes before bedtime helps relax tense muscles and aids deep sleep.
Weekend ▶ Wake up and go to bed early as on weekdays
If you go to bed late and wake up in the afternoon on weekends, your usual life rhythm is disrupted, causing anxiety about early Monday work and increased fatigue. Therefore, waking up and going to bed at the usual time even on weekends helps reduce fatigue caused by Monday Blues.
Monday ▶ Make lighting brighter than usual
When sitting at your desk in the office on Monday, making the lighting brighter than usual helps improve concentration. Also, stretching frequently to loosen stiff muscles and reduce tension is beneficial. Thinking about things you like and planning what to do on the coming weekend induces happiness and is a good method.
Monday ▶ Be sure to have breakfast
To overcome Monday Blues, have a breakfast rich in fiber and carbohydrates. Breakfast increases alertness between morning and lunchtime, clears the mind, and helps generate energy during the low-energy morning hours, playing an important role in improving work concentration.
Monday ▶ Eat foods containing buckwheat for lunch
Buckwheat-containing foods are good for Monday lunch. Buckwheat is rich in potassium, folic acid, magnesium, fiber, and eight essential amino acids, making it a healthy food. Especially, it contains many B vitamins that help smooth functioning of the digestive and nervous systems, aiding in relieving Monday Blues symptoms.
Monday ▶ Take a 20-30 minute nap or walk in the sunlight during lunch
Taking a short nap of about 20-30 minutes during Monday lunch is good. After sleeping, you feel much refreshed and regain vitality. Alternatively, doing simple stretching and walking outside after meals also helps. Outdoor activity releases a substance called ‘myokine’ from muscles, which eliminates inflammation in the body, saving energy for inflammation relief and reducing fatigue.
■ Foods that help relieve accumulated stress and recover from fatigue
▷ Buchu (Korean chive)
Buchu, which has a warm nature, is rich in various nutrients such as vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin A, protecting cells from damage and helping purify the blood. It is especially known as a food good for improving blood circulation and recovering from fatigue.
▷ Broccoli
Broccoli is rich in vitamin C and good for fatigue recovery. It also strengthens immunity, has anti-cancer effects, prevents eye diseases, regulates blood pressure, controls weight, and improves skin health. If your immunity has dropped significantly due to stress, consuming broccoli with every meal helps restore health.
▷ Garlic
Garlic's germanium component helps absorb vitamin B1 and aids fatigue recovery. Moreover, garlic's allicin and scordinin components strengthen immunity and restore energy, so eating it with meals helps boost immunity.
▷ Tomato
Tomatoes, known for their rich nutrients and dietary fiber that prevent constipation, contain abundant lycopene and citric acid, which are effective for fatigue recovery. Therefore, office workers who have been stressed or dieting will find tomatoes an excellent food to include in their diet.
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