Why Mondays Feel HARDER with ADHD

Everyone hates Mondays. But if you have ADHD…. Do you ever feel extra Monday-ish?

We’ve all heard it, “Ugh, back to work,” that sluggish, heavy Monday feeling. That part is normal. But sometimes it feels like more than that. Not just a slow start…but something closer to an impossible task.

So I started thinking….. are Monday’s harder for ADHDers?

Short answer… YES!

The Part No One Tells You

This is one of those things that should come in the “you’ve got ADHD” handbook. The lived experiences that go beyond the textbook definitions, the symptoms, the labels. It’s the part you’re left with to figure out on your own.

Time off isn’t just “time off”

When you are off work, you’re not just away from the job, you are off time.

You are off masking,

Off structure,

Off pressure,

Off decoding,

Off performing,

You can turn it all off and just…. Be.

When you are off work, you can function on your own schedule, your own demands, you can eat when you are hungry. You can switch tasks whenever you want, change plans as many times as you want. You can follow your energy instead of the obligations.

You don’t have to live by others demands, you can follow the Dopamine, whatever gives you energy, focus or motivation, you can just go along with it. Follow it to the kitchen to do some cooking, or down to the basement to work on an hobby we dropped last month, or into the garage to clear out some storage boxes. You get to listen to your own mind, your own body, you feel comfortable, safe, and authentic like your true self.

THEN MONDAY HAPPENS…..

And everything FLIPS!

Now you have to:

Wake up at a specific time

Follow schedules created by someone else

Plan things ahead of time without knowing how you will feel.

Decide what to eat before you are even hungry.

It’s not just going “back to work”  its going to a different mental space. We are changing how we exist

From Flexible to structured

From self-directed to externally directed

From following energy to following systems.

Not only are we expected to do this seamlessly, we are expected to do it instantly, without buffer, or taking any additional adjustment time.

It’s not just “ugh Monday!”

Going back to work for some of us can feel like we are being sent somewhere for punishment some place we don’t naturally fit in.

We go back to:

Masking,

Decoding,

Rules,

Pressure,

Obligations,

This isn’t just a feeling of a slow start this is a Monday mountain that hits you.

Its not just an annoying Monday, its a struggle that is more then just “I don’t feel like it” or “I don’t want to” the truth is we DO WANT TO! We want to work, we don’t want to be lazy but we are struggling to recalibrate our brains. Our entire ecosystem and structure has changed, we have to do things that feel planned or unnatural, and we have to put the mask back on to make it all work.

ALL AT ONCE! It’s a lot! It’s not easy! And the struggle is not because you are lazy.

This is a full mental transition happening all at once, while you are trying to meet expectations.

ADHDers’ feel MONDAY’s harder because its a bigger shift for us.

Can Monday’s be less Monday?

Well since we can’t change the restart we have to try to make it as manageable as possible. Try to make Monday your slow start day, its your re-entry day.

1. PRE- work day. Make Monday the Pre Tuesday.

Try not to book anything that mentally drains you. If its answering emails, having meetings, reading reports, whatever is your HARDEST task, don’t schedule it on a Monday. If its a mandatory thing that you can’t reschedule try to break up the task in between other things you find relaxing or energizing.

2. Put a pause on it.

If you know your restart day (Monday or any day you are back to work) is a hard day for you, don’t agree or decide anything on that day. If its possible always say “I’ll get this back to you tomorrow” give your self that allowance to not be pressured to work when you are trying to transition into work.

3. Make Monday a comfortable day.

If you know you are already going to be uncomfortable going back to the system don’t make your self feel uncomfortable either. Wear your comfiest shoes, or your most relaxed outfit (when available) if you have to wear a uniform, and a piece that makes you feel good. A favourite watch, or pair of earrings, or something that can make you feel that little bit of YOU still.

4. Find the buzz.

Find that one thing that can get you going, it can be a morning cup of coffee (although as many of us ADHDers’ will know caffeine doesn’t usually help). Find a song that gets you moving, take some action to wake up and get moving, find a quite spot or a favourite space to get the easiest task done. Get the ball rolling!

5. ALLOW IT!

Allow yourself to be moving slower! Give yourself permission to not be the best. Schedule your self more time to do tasks you know you can do. This is you transitioning from YOUR schedule to THE schedule.

Finally…… Mondays aren’t just harder because you “don’t feel like it” its harder because your brain is doing more work behind the scenes. It is more, thats why it feels bigger. It’s not a weakness you are not lazy you are just doing more.

Remember you are you! And keep slaying it your way!

Sheena Shay