Have you ever had one of those Mondays where it feels like the world is moving in slow motion—and you’re not entirely sure you’re part of it? You’re awake. Technically. You got out of bed. You even managed to put together something resembling breakfast. But your brain? Your energy? Your ability to care? Still lagging behind, like they missed the bus to Monday entirely. Yeah. That was me this morning.
And let’s be honest—it’s not just me. There’s something about Mondays that feels heavier than the rest of the week. Like you’re wading through a mental fog you can’t quite shake. I finished a big assignment today and submitted it on time. I should’ve felt motivated, accomplished. Instead, today felt like my brain had been packed in cotton balls and wrapped in plastic cling wrap. So what gives? Why does Monday hit like this, even when you’re doing the right things but everything feels a bit off, even when you’re hammering away at whatever it is you have to get done? It turns out there are several fundamental reasons.
The weekend jet lag is real. Even if you’re not out clubbing or binge-watching Netflix until 4 a.m., chances are your sleep and eating schedule changes on the weekend. Maybe you go to bed later. Maybe you sleep in. Perhaps you shared a large pizza or thirty breaded chicken wings and several beers with your friend after 11 p.m., on Saturday night. It’s subtle, but that shift—called social jet lag—can mess with your body’s internal clock even two days later. And on Monday, the system tries to recalibrate. The result is that you feel off, even if you technically got “enough” sleep.
The brain reboot takes time. Let’s talk about sleep inertia. That’s the groggy, disoriented feeling you get when you wake up from deep sleep—and it can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. If your body is used to slower weekend starts, Monday might yank you out of deep sleep before you’re ready, and your brain spends the morning playing catch-up.
Weekends give us space to decompress, to socialize, to do absolutely nothing if we want to. Even if the weekend wasn’t particularly eventful, there’s still freedom baked into it. Come Monday, you’re back to deadlines, expectations, and structure. That reentry can feel like emotional whiplash. No wonder we’re dragging.
Monday is when everything you didn’t do on Friday afternoon suddenly reappears like an uninvited guest. Emails, errands, to-dos. And let’s not forget the new tasks that emerged over the weekend and are now demanding attention. It’s like your brain logs on and instantly gets swamped with a week’s worth of pop-up ads.
Weekends often give us a natural boost of dopamine. Novelty, pleasure, downtime, social connection. Monday strips that away and replaces it with repetition, routine, and responsibilities.
It’s not just you, and this part is important: there is nothing wrong with you if Mondays hit like a ton of bricks. No, you’re not lazy, broken, or falling behind. You are human and experiencing what many feel but do not discuss outside of coffee breaks or in whispers at the office.
So what helps? I wish I had a magic fix. I don’t. But here’s what sometimes helps me crawl out of that cement: Don’t overcommit your Monday. Ease into the week if you can. Save the heavy lifts, including online meetings, for Tuesday and the rest of the week. Hydrate. Move. Stretch. Yes, I know. Eye roll because you and I know it, but Mondays are, well, Mondays. However, minor physical resets can clear more fog than you might think. Ditch the guilt. Seriously. The pressure to feel “on” just makes the fog thicker. Tiny wins count. You answered three emails? Win. You got some work done? Win. Stack those little wins and let them snowball.
Mondays may always feel like you are walking through that wet cement. However, my own experience is that I showed up, started, and completed an assignment; I wrote this blog; I responded to emails; and I chipped away at things. No, I wasn’t “on fire” today, and maybe you weren’t either, but I didn’t disappear either. If you experienced that weird foggy Monday feeling today or any Monday, you’re not alone. You’re allowed to ease in and feel off. You’re normal.
John Berkovich Talks 