#4: Mom Tips To Beat The Monday Blues

Let’s not sugarcoat it—Mondays as a mom are brutal. Whether you're juggling toddlers who think 5 AM is the perfect time for a circus performance or teenagers who seem to be perpetually late for everything, the Monday blues hit hard. But guess what? You don’t have to let them win. With a few simple & practical tips, you can walk into your Monday like you’ve got this—even if you’re wearing yesterday’s leggings and haven't showered since Friday.

Here are five tried-and-true ways to fight off the Monday blues and start your week off strong (or at least semi-functional):

1. Prep the Night Before (Because Waking Up Is Hard Enough)

Future you will thank you. We already know that mornings with kids are a hot mess. You’re not just waking up—you’re fighting the day before it even truly begins. So, how do those moms on Pinterest conquer their mornings and look so peacefully doing it? Prep the night before, my friend.

1. Lay out clothes for everyone. Going to the gym after drop off? Lay out your go-to workout set (or your baggy t-shirt and leggings if your basic like me.) Busy morning full of meetings and desk work? Hang your favorite work attire on the door of your bathroom. Staying home to watch your heathens and be the baddie mom you are? Set out your favorite loungewear and fuzzy socks.

2. Pack lunches that you know will be thrown out by 10 AM. I’m talking their go-to snackies, anything non-perishable like their chips, pop-tarts, gummies and such. An added bonus if you wash, prep and store the fruit or veggies to put in their lunchboxes in the morning.

3. Plan your meals for the week. You don’t have to make a five-course meal, but wash and prep the produce you bought this weekend like the bag of baby carrots, or the strawberries and grapes and throw them into containers to make them last longer (& makes them easier to snack on.) Buy some fresh meat/seafood and pull out some chicken from the freezer and let it slowly thaw in the fridge for a couple days while you use up the fresh meat or seafood.

   Other little but big impact things could be setting up the coffee pot, refilling your Yeti or Stanley (of if you’re like me, your knock off Stanley) with water to set the tone as soon as you wake up and maybe even tossing a bottle of wine in the fridge for later (no judgement zone over here) will save you time and energy when your brain is mush come morning.

Bonus: If you prep so much that you forget what you did the night before, it’s basically like future-you did all the work, and you’re just riding that wave into Monday.

2. Brain Dump on Sundays (Because If You Don’t, You’ll Lose Your Mind)

If you’re like me, your brain never stops running at full speed. By Sunday, you’ve probably got a mental to-do list that looks like a small novel. And if you don’t unload that mess, it will absolutely haunt you when Monday comes around.

So grab a notebook, a piece of scrap paper, or whatever you’ve got laying around (even the back of a cereal box) and brain dump. Write down everything—everything. Big stuff, little stuff, things you forgot about three weeks ago, and the random thought about your kid's explosion up their back that’s still grossing you out.

Having a brain dump is so underrated but so beneficial and helpful to start the next week off fresh. You don’t want to start your brand new week off still thinking about how impossible it was getting slime out of your kids hair last Tuesday.

Getting it all out will clear your mind, reduce anxiety, helps with decision making, and most importantly, you won’t be awake at 3 AM remembering you forgot to call the pediatrician.

3. Make Your Bed (It’s the Small Win You Need)

I know, I know—what does making your bed have to do with surviving Monday? It’s not like it’s a life-changing event, right? But let me tell you: there’s something weirdly satisfying about starting your day with a tiny win. It’s like, “Okay, I’ve got this. At least my bed looks like it’s under control.” Research has actually shown that if you make your bed first thing in the morning as soon as you get up, it creates a sense of control over your life, boosts your productivity levels, enhances your mood and who doesn’t want to be able to check something off their to-do list within 2 minutes of waking up?

Making your bed in the morning also makes us less likely to want to jump back in and curl up in it. Plus, there’s nothing like crawling into a made bed at the end of a chaotic day and thinking, “Well, I did one thing right today.” It’s an emotional win you can savor, even if you’ve just dealt with three tantrums, spilled juice, and forgotten to brush your kids teeth (we’ve all been there).

4. Habit Stacking (Because Multitasking is a Myth)

Okay, let’s be real: Multitasking is a joke. It’s not a real, tangible thing. When we try to do that, it can make us start so many tasks but how often do we finish them in the same day?

If you have ADHD like me, then you’ll know the feeling of knowing you need to start laundry so you go into the laundry room to find you didn’t fold the last load. So you grab that basket and bring it into the living room to start folding but there isn’t a clean surface for you to fold these clean clothes on, so what do you do? Start picking up the living room and when you grab last nights juice cup to put it in the sink, you have a few dishes you need to do and you think, “I’ll do these real quick.” And the process goes on. And on. And on.

But habit stacking? Now we’re talking. This is where you sneak in good habits without feeling like you’re about to implode. The key here is to pair a new habit with an existing one.

For example, while you’re brewing that life-saving cup of coffee (because let’s face it, that’s your first real moment of peace), toss in a few minutes of stretching. Or when you gotta do the dishes after dinner, throw on a audiobook, podcast or a youtube video. Little things that don’t require a ton of mental effort but help you feel a bit more put together.

Habit stacking allows you to sneak in those small wins without adding to the ever-growing to-do list. And honestly, if you can get a few wins in before 9 AM, you’re winning at this whole mom thing.

5. Set Your Expectations Lower (Like, Really Low)

Here’s the truth, mama: Mondays are not going to be perfect. Your kids will probably spill something, refuse to wear their shoes, and ask you why they can’t eat cake at 7am at least 47 times. So let’s just set our expectations accordingly to prevent that mental breakdown or instant burnout.

On Monday, your goal is not to conquer the world; it’s just to make it through the day. That’s it. Aim low, and you’ll always win. Don’t expect a clean house, a full inbox of good news, or that one mom friend who has it all together (she’s lying). If you set the bar so low that even your toddler can jump over it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much you actually get done.

And if you end up face-first on the couch at 2 PM with a half-eaten bag of chips? That’s a victory too. Self-care, baby.

Let’s Recap:

1. Prep The Night Before - save yourself the chaotic morning rush by prepping the night before.

2. Brain Dump It All - get everything off your chest to start your week on a blank page.

3. Make The Bed - first task of the day, make your damn bed.

4. Habit Stack - combine a habit you want to make, with an already existing habit.

5. Lower Your Expectations - don’t out so much on your plate and overwhelm yourself on the very first day of a new week.

Let’s face it: Monday is a beast. But with a little prep, some mental unloading, and a lot of humor, you can tackle it like the rockstar mom you are. The key is to make Monday work for you—even if that means cutting yourself some slack and laughing at the chaos. So, go ahead, make that bed, brain dump your worries, and set your expectations low. You've got this... or at least you're going to try your best, and that’s enough.

I’d love to hear which one of these tips you either resonated with or the one you’re going to try to help cut out the Monday blues so make sure to let me know in the comments!

If you found this post helpful, be sure to check out my other tips on self-care for busy moms, or browse my full collection of motherhood hacks to make life a little easier! Thank you so much for reading and don’t forget to subscribe to my website to be the first to read my weekly blog. 

If no one told you today, you are an amazing mom and I see you. You wouldn’t be reading this blog if you weren’t and I am SO proud of you. Keep loving yourself too, mama.  Happy Monday, now go kill it!

With Love, Caitlin Nichols