We shouldn't normalise the Monday Blues
We’ve got to the stage where the ‘Monday blues’, Wednesday ‘hump day’ and ‘TGIF’ are just regular vernacular when we are talking about our jobs and our work. It’s normal to hate your job, right? Sure, everyone feels like this; it's part of being a grown-up: just get on with it and count down the days to the weekend. Feeling like this on the odd Sunday is no cause for concern, but when it is most weeks and it's been going on for quite a while, then it may be problematic.
Our paid work is where many of us spend huge chunks of our time. If we absolutely hate it or have an ongoing feeling of dread, we seriously need to consider what we are doing. Work IS life, not separate to life. I am not suggesting that it should all be sweetness and light. Like any part of your life, there will be ups and downs, but if the majority of it is down, it is causing anxiety for most of your Sunday, you have to armour up going in, you have to do work that's completely out of alignment for you, or you need half a bottle of wine in the evenings to decompress, we need to give it some thought as to how things can change.
If we are miserable for a third of our day and need the rest of the time at home just to come down, what kind of effects is this having on our health, our mental health, our relationships and our families?
If you are feeling like this, it can be helpful to try and figure out the main nub of the issue:
Is it the commute?
Is it a poor relationship with your manager or colleague?
Is it the culture of the organisation?
Do you feel undervalued at work?
Is the job a mismatch for your values as a person?
Do you feel like you are here to do something else?
Is it a combination of all of the above?
It's different for everyone. When I was feeling like this in a previous job, it was a combination of a negative organisational culture and that the role was compromising my values. I can see this now with the benefit of hindsight. However, on paper it was a ‘good job’; I should have been delighted with life. I think we can armour up for a period of time and then we will reach the point when it's no longer sustainable.
Figuring out the source of the feeling can then point you in the right direction to make a few small changes with the time and resources that you have. I'm not in to suggesting a dramatic ‘jump and the universe will catch you’ kind of thing because people have bills to pay. But getting some clarity on the source of your discontent can point you in the right direction. Your life is too important to be counting down the days every single week.
