Monday blues

Dr. Don Kuehle, United Methodist, Retired

It’s Monday! Monday blues! First-day-of-the-week blahs! The start of the work week! Oh no, not Monday again!

Most of us, at one time or another, have experienced the “Monday blues.” Perhaps it’s a day when everything goes woefully wrong. Perhaps it’s a kind of “blah” day, when we don’t feel like doing anything or being with anyone. Ever wondered why we call it “blue Monday”?

I’m having a “blue” day is my way of saying that I’m feeling sad and depressed. Ever “sung the blues”? The “blues” are always played in a minor key, expressing a deep disappointment with life, or a yearning for something we don’t or can’t have. Monday is often referred to as “Blue Monday.”

Monday has traditionally been associated with “wash day.” A pile of dirty clothes had accumulated over the past week, and Monday was washing day. In former times, water had to be carried from the well and heated on the old kitchen stove. Lye soap, scrub-boards, and wash-tubs were standard for the day. Shirts and blouses and tablecloths had to be starched; often blue dye, or blueing, was added to the starch. The starch was for stiffness and the blueing was for brightness. Washing and blueing, done on Mondays, led to the phrase “Blue Monday.”

We’ve all had the blues at one time or another. Sad to say, there are no simple and easy remedies for the blues. There are ways, however, to cope with the blues:

1). Tackle the task! Do the hardest work first while you’re fresh and energetic. Save the easiest tasks for last when you’re worn-out and weary. Don’t put off the work because it’s difficult.

2). Elevate your thoughts! Read a Devotional or a Bible verse. Say a prayer, before you begin your work. God will give you wisdom and strength for all the work you need to get done.

3). Thank God! Instead of looking at the work as a chore that has to be done, thank God that you have some work to do, AND that you are able to do it.

4). Take your time! Faced with moving a mountain, one could easily become discouraged. Faced with a pile of work, one could easily give up in despair. Yet, even a mountain, over a period of time, can be moved if one is patient and moves one stone at a time.

5). Ask for help! The load is lighter when it’s shared. Sometimes, others in our family would gladly help us; but our pride prevents us from asking them for help. Sometimes, we feel that we can do the work quicker and better than others; we don’t give other people the opportunity to help.

Blue Monday happens most often on the first day of the week. The blues, however, can occur on any day of the week. When you get the blues, take some positive steps to deal with them! Remember, we are not alone! The good news is that others stand ready to help. The best news is that God is with us!