Nine Cures for the “I Hate Monday” Syndrome

Do you saunter into work each Monday with a spring in your step and joy in your heart? If so, you’re in the minority. More than half of Americans hate reporting to their jobs Monday morning, and that number is growing–from less than 40 percent 20 years ago to more than 50 percent today, according to a Conference Board Consumer Research Center survey (CBCRC).
Career coach Jeff Garton believes job satisfaction will continue to plummet as long as employees insist on linking their happiness to conditions over which they have no control. In the CBCRC study, for instance, the main sources of discontent cited were bonus plans, promotion policies, health plans, pensions, emotionally distant bosses, disinterest in company objectives, and pay.
Garton explains that job satisfaction is an obsolete concept and a futile goal, because it is controlled by employers in the form of pay, benefits, supervision, training, job opportunities, workplace conditions–things and more things. Any of these can change after you start the most satisfying job, leading to regret, disappointment, stress, performance issues, or career instability.

But you can radically change how you feel about your job by choosing to pursue “career contentment” instead–a state of mind that helps you endure job setbacks and find meaningful work. That feeling of accomplishment at the end of a good day is not job satisfaction but contentment, the same feeling you can have on Monday morning, or even at the end of a bad day.
Garton says when you understand the essential difference between job satisfaction and career contentment–and pursue ways to recognize and strengthen your contentment–new possibilities open up to you that can change your worklife forever.
Here are nine time-tested cures for the “I Hate Monday” syndrome that will help you feel content in your job.

1. Try on positive feelings. Researchers have shown that the brain responds to a feeling or pose that you consciously generate as if that feeling or pose were spontaneous. If you’re feeling tired, imagine yourself surging with energy. If you’re feeling pessimistic, force your mind to create an optimistic thought. If something at work makes you feel beaten down or stressed, straighten your posture, raise your eyes, and walk taller. Make yourself smile frequently.
2. Distance yourself from the source. You can recharge your energy and gain strength in the face of workplace setbacks by walking away. Move away from people and situations that are sapping your strength. Take frequent breaks, and remove yourself from the workplace with a relaxing walk at noon.
3. Seek relationships that give back. One of the keys to contentment is to surround yourself with people who support you, cheer you, mentor you, challenge you, or give you straight answers. Think of people at work or in your profession who are givers rather than takers, and schedule a phone call, lunch date, or walk with at least one of these supporters every week.
4. Move faster than your employer. Taking initiative and taking charge will help you develop more enthusiasm for your work. To strengthen your initiative muscle, don’t wait for direction, but organize a response and implement it. Keep your activities purposeful and moving toward your career goals. Taking action will make you feel good.
5. Research your way out of a funk. Spend some time browsing in a bookstore that carries a wide variety of magazines and journals. Look for ones that pique your interest and offer practical analyses and information on a subject you’re passionate about but frightened to actually pursue–such as the excellent magazines for professional writers, or edgy journals for creative techies. Acquiring new information that you may apply to your job is a great way to renew excitement.
6. Invite serendipity. If you can pull it off, take a day off work with the goal of just wandering around some favorite place to see what comes up for you. By allowing your mind to be open in this way–or as some books on creativity call it, “making a date with yourself–ideas, inspirations, and half-forgotten dreams will jump into your mind. Don’t ignore them. Instead, figure out how you can incorporate them into you current career path.
7. “Flip” negative thoughts into positive ones. Here’s an easy, science-based technique. First, pay attention to automatic thoughts. These are usually “can’t” or “shouldn’t” statements. Second, be aware of how these thoughts affect your mood. Third, zoom in on the thought that creates the feeling, such as “This won’t work.” Fourth, flip that statement to a positive intention. For example: “I can make this work.” Finally, pay attention to the new emotion this flip-switching has created, and “hold” it for 17 seconds.
8. Find the middle ground. Next time you find yourself hating your job, shutting down around a difficult co-worker or boss, or feeling overwhelmed by an impossible task or deadline, ask yourself this question: What do I like most about this job? Sometimes, taking the focus off your intense dissatisfaction and finding a middle ground in your current situation is all you need to do to reorient your focus so you can recognize career contentment.
9. Look for opportunity. Another great way to free yourself when you’re stuck in an untenable situation at work is to ask yourself: What can I learn from this? Challenges, when turned into opportunities for learning, recharge your energy and give you a “way out” of difficult situations.

Article by Jeff Garton is founder of Career Contentment, Inc. (www.careercontentment.com), an executive search and career-coaching firm, and host of “Career Contentment Radio,” broadcast on VoiceAmerica.com Business Radio Network. His new book is Career Contentment: Don’t Settle for Anything Less (ASTD Press, 2008).

Originally posted by sarah ennenga