That Awful Monday Morning
Honestly? I was slumped at my desk yesterday morning feeling like trash. One meeting canceled last minute, then the next one dumped three extra tasks on my plate. My coffee tasted like mud, and my brain felt foggy. I wanted to just crawl back under the covers, you know? Realized I was deep in one of those crappy headspaces where everything feels heavier than it should. Time to actually try some of those “instant courage” tips I keep reading about.
What Actually Worked For Me
Forget the fancy theories, I needed stuff I could do right then, in my PJs if needed. Here’s exactly what I did and how it felt:
1. Just Stood Like an Idiot (Seriously):
Closed my office door (well, shoved my sock drawer shut – work from home life). Stood up straight, hands on my hips like some cheesy superhero poster. Felt absolutely ridiculous for about 5 seconds. Held it for just a minute total. Weirdest thing? My shoulders just naturally dropped a bit. Breathing got a smidge easier. Felt less like a deflated balloon. Go figure.
2. Played My “Washed Up” Jam:
Scrolled past the chill playlists. Found that embarrassingly loud song I secretly blast in the car when traffic sucks. Hit play. Let that cheesy guitar riff fill my ears. Okay, maybe I bobbed my head a tiny bit. That jolt of stupid energy actually cut through some of the fog. Just for 3 minutes, didn’t let myself overthink it.
3. Actually Said “Thanks” For One Dumb Thing:
My mind was racing with all the junk piling up. Stopped. Took one deep breath. Tried to name one genuinely small thing I wasn’t thinking about disaster-mode. Went simple: “My favorite mug isn’t cracked.” Said it out loud, dumb as it sounds. Just focusing on that ONE little non-broken thing for 10 seconds? Felt like a tiny pressure valve released. Didn’t fix my problems, but took the edge off the panic.
4. Named the Boogeyman:
Was that gnawing feeling just “stress”? Or something specific? Sat down, grabbed my messy notebook. Scribbled: “I’m scared I screwed up the Jones report deadline and boss lady is gonna rip me.” Just getting that ugly fear out of my head and onto paper made it feel less like a monster. Seeing it written made it… kinda smaller? Or at least manageable. Not just a swirling cloud of dread.
5. Picked One Tiny Fight (Like, Seriously Tiny):
Felt overwhelmed by all the tasks. Picked the absolute smallest thing I could do, not the most important. For me? Replying to ONE simple email requesting info I already had. Took maybe 90 seconds. Hit send. That tiny “win” of crossing something off? It didn’t solve everything, but it broke the “frozen” feeling. Like, okay, movement is possible.
Bottom Line? Small Pokes Work
Look, I’m not suddenly bench-pressing cars or anything. But getting off my butt physically when I felt crushed, blasting some noise, forcing myself to find one stupid non-negative thing, naming the fear instead of letting it be vague, and then squashing one tiny task? That combo poked enough holes in the fog that I could actually breathe and start tackling the actual work. It felt less about “building valor” and more about chipping away at the weight. Less brave knight, more scrappy underdog taking tiny jabs. And honestly? Sometimes that’s all you need to stop drowning for a minute. Keep it small, keep it weird, sometimes it works.