How to beat the Monday blues.

I was driving home from work today, exhausted from putting in 10 hours with no lunch break, and wishing on all the stars in the sky that Friday would hurry up and get here. I just hate the beginning of the week. The "hump"from Monday to Wednesday, the Sunday night dread of the week coming up, and even worse, when the work only seems to grow as the week goes on.

Well, until I retire or marry old money, I have many Mondays ahead of me. And despite having a job I love, the sheer quantity of work can be overwhelming, and sometimes on Monday there's nothing I'd rather do than call in sick. Fortunately, there are a few little things I do that I've found to brighten up Sunday afternoon and evening, all the way through quittin' time on Monday.

Next time you have a case of the pre-Monday blues, try one or three of these. In fact, any time you're down, no need to go running to the Godiva or texting your ex. Try one of these fail-safe ideas...

Ideas for Sunday:

- resist the temptation to do a bazillion errands. Without any vegging out time, the work week never really ends. Do a few important things and leave yourself plenty of chill time.

- put a fresh set of sheets on your bed, and spritz them with your favorite perfume. Going to beg won't seem so depressing if you really want to be there.

- make afternoon plans, like apple-picking, watching football at a local bar, or hitting a museum. Don't let Sunday only be the day to prepare for the week.

- wanna spend the day in your pajamas? DO IT. DO IT. DO IT.

- get some exercise. You can take your time, and it'll help you get to bed at night.

- go shopping at fabulous places in the coolest part of the coolest town or city near you.

- Try a mini-Thanksgiving! Have some friends over for the delicious holiday-esque foods you love, without family or the overeating. Bake a turkey breast, roast some red potatoes, try Paula Deen's Broccoli Cheese Casserole, and have a glass of wine or two. You can even pick up an apple turnover or pumpkin tart if you went to the gym earlier. Between the friends, wine, tryptophan and relaxing vibe, you'll have no trouble drifting off to sleep.

Ideas for Monday:

- replace your regular DD large coffee with a more special latte.

- wear a fabulous outfit, picked out the night before. If you work clothing is fun, it makes waking up a lot easier.

- wear heels. Even if you hate the idea of wearing them after a weekend in Uggs, once you feel your posture straighten and your gait lengthen, you'll be glad you did.

- get a manicure during lunch.

- don't check your email first thing in the morning. Stick to a list of tasks, and tackle the easier (i.e. repetitive or brainless) ones first, if possible. This starts the week on the right tone, and helps you be more productive.

- During breaks or lunch, make the most of your internet at work, provided these sites aren't blocked. And even though these aren't totally inappropriate, still, be careful who sees you!

- http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/ . Completely random and sometimes the jokes are hard to get, but when you're tired, weary and distracted, a cat midair with a quote about invisible jazz hands can laugh you into waking.

- Orbitz.com, or any other travel site. Even if you have no time or money to travel any time soon, just looking at plane tickets and hotels can relax you. And you might find a deal!

- Sephora.com. If you need more moisturizer, keep in mind everything $50+ ships free and comes with at least 3 fun samples.

- If you're lucky enough to get YouTube, look up clips from old TV shows like Saved by the Bell, Double Dare and Duck Tales. The nostalgia will perk you right up, Preppie.

- Go out to dinner during the week. Even if it only feels like Saturday night for 2 hours, that's better than watching badly edited "The Hills" episodes while eating microwaved popcorn.

Cheers,

Hayley