10 Ways to Beat the Midweek Blues
You can still hit the reset button no matter what day it is. You don’t have to constantly loop through a midweek crisis. Learn ways to break out of the midweek slump cycle and start fresh with these 10 ways to beat the midweek blues.
What are the Midweek blues?
The midweek blues are the generally low feelings you get right on the middle day of the week– Wednesday. When you are right in the middle of the week under loads of work it’s easy to feel tired, overwhelmed and even depressed. The weekend is still a long way off and it doesn’t feel like you’ll have enough motivation to get you there!
To may Tuesday-Thursday are the worst days of the week and it’s easy to start living for the weekend. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to lose three days of my week (or even one day of my week!) to the midweek blues!
10 Ways to Beat the Midweek Blues
These ideas are great ways to uplift yourself and start fresh midweek. This is not medical advice. If you are suffering from symptoms of depression please contact your doctor or mental health professional.
1. Take a 15-minute break
Bust through sad vibes by taking a 15 minute break away from your work or away from your home if you’re a stay at home parent. A quick lap around the outside of your building to clear your head or a quick coffee run can help you clear your head and put a pep back in your step.
2. Play a favorite song
There is nothing like the soothing effect of music to shift the mood! If you work in an office environment use earbuds to respectfully crank some feel good or relaxing tunes. If you’re at home with your kids crank up the music and have a dance party. Or use your noise cancelling headphones to drown out the kiddos and take a sensory break.
3. Take full advantage of the weekend
Don’t stay up late, sleep as long as you can, watch tv, and then repeat the next day until it is Monday morning again. I like to think ahead of time (and check in with my spouse) about what kind of a weekend we want to have.
Do we have family commitments? Are there any house projects we want to tackle? Do we want to plan a date night on Friday night?
Spend a little time planning your weekend to take full advantage of it.
4. Turn off that tv show
I’m all for a relaxing movie or show, but if you camp out in front of the tv night after night of course it gets depressing. Read a book! Take a bubble bath! Find two or three self care ideas from this list and do them in the evening instead of your nightly binge watching of tv or social media.
5. Do something different
Go see new movies or meet a friend for a drink. If you always experience depressing thoughts or lacking motivation in the midweek then plan to go to a yoga class or meet a friend for coffee or better yet–plan a therapy session for that time.
Just having something different to look forward to can make a big difference in your mood.
In our house Thursday nights my husband works late and I used to absolutely DREAD this night. The kids were always tired and I was always tired. Attitudes ran amuck and it was awful. But I decided to do something different. Instead of trying to cook a regular dinner and do baths, I decided to make Thursday night pizza-movie night.
I make pizza (a lot of times just frozen) and the kids get to eat it at the coffee table while they watch a movie. It’s a simple thing, but it has made that midweek slump so much better.
6 Spread your energy more evenly throughout your week.
Some of us hit the ground with a ton of energy on Monday and take on super heavy workloads. Then things begin to pile up and we lose our steam leading to incomplete deadlines which make us feel even worse. A more efficient way to manage your time and energy is to look at the week as a whole and then break down your workload into 5 even chunks. By putting less on your to-do list you may end up actually doing more!
7. Eat a hearty breakfast
You may feel a crash of energy that has nothing to do with the midweek blues and everything to do with a sugar crash from starting your day with a Starbuck macchiato and a blueberry muffin. That rush of sugar, carbs, and caffeine is going to make your body crash hard in just a couple hours. Instead of that quick bite slow down and eat a breakfast that has a balance of protein, fats, and carbs like this Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie or this Overnight Oats with Greek Yogurt recipe.
8. Laugh a little
Laughter can release endorphins, lower rates of depression, bond us to other people and release physical and emotional tension. (Source) So listen to a comedy album over lunch or tell a coworker a joke or watch a funny video on social media.
I’m quite fond of this video of babies laughing–the joy is so real!
9. Switch up your wardrobe
If your usual attire is neutrals or blacks switch things up with a new shirt in a brighter hue like purple or yellow. Or choose a graphic shirt with an encouraging message.
I used to have a sweater with the word “Happy” on it and I often chose it on the days I felt a bit down as a reminder to myself to choose joy in my everyday moments. Every time I walked by a mirror I was uplifted by my own shirt!
10. Adopt a positive mantra
All the positive mindset work won’t cure your depression, but it can help alleviate midweek blues and help you stay focused when negative things come up. Craft a powerful statement you want to be true of yourself and repeat it to yourself over and over.
Say it twice to yourself in the mirror when you go to the bathroom. Say it before you get on a call or have a meeting with your boss. Here are a few ideas you can borrow:
- “I am completely capable of figuring out what I need to know.”
- “I do work that matters.”
- “I choose joy today–no matter the circumstances.”
- “I’m a leader among my peers.”
- “I’m a joyful and patient mom.”
More Purposeful Living Content
- 17 Ways to Get Out of a Funk and Find More Joy
- How to Set Goals You Will Actually Accomplish
- 15 Monday Morning Encouragements to Inspire You
Hit the restart button on your week–no matter what day of the week it is! Use these 10 effective ways to start fresh midweek.
When you have a rough day get right back at it! It’s never too late to start over. You can choose your attitude even when you’re in a hard situation.
Keep your head up and choose joy, my friend!