Y’all, Mondays.
Legally required Office Space “Case of Mondays” reference.
The weekend, she is bomb. It’s the time when you get to give yourself a break and / or engage with things you otherwise can’t do because of that whole “work” thing. It doesn’t help that the world feels bigger and more out of control than ever, forcing most of us to start back on our heels. What new, terrible thing is coming down the pipeline? What am I not seeing coming this week? It’s like you need to be ready to do battle before you ever leave the house.
On no day is this more true than a Monday.
Even if you have a schedule where “your Monday” isn’t actually a Monday, the fact that so many people exhibit that “case of the Mondays” attitude means that almost everyone finds this day a little harder or a little more intense than all the others. We at The Hot Goss wanted to help you live your best life by sharing some of our hot tips on keeping Mondays in check and having the baller week you so richly deserve.
Insight Timer
Start off your day the centered way. Several of us here at The Hot Goss swear by this super handy app to keep us grounded in the midst of the chaos of modern life. You can choose from thousands of meditations – both vocally guided and music-based – of practically any length of time you have at your disposal. I personally love using this to jumpstart my creativity when I feel blocked or just generally gross and devoid of good ideas.
My new Monday power pose.
Shine Text
Shine Text is a daily text message of reassurance and confidence-boosting strategy; think of it like a super sunny pal who also has a degree in psychology. All the ladies of the Hot Goss subscribe and while I know I don’t always read through the whole of my Shine Texts, there are some that are just, like, eerily in tune with my situation.
This baby is #MondayGoals. Photo: Kazuend.
Know Your Right Newsletter
This newsletter, typically a once or twice-weekly affair, is a great way to keep up with all the truly terrible stuff being churned out in the right wing press. Wait – STAY WITH ME. There is something exceptionally empowering about entering a work week knowing all the garbo being pushed into the media by the forces of evil, and the crew at Know Your Right do a great job of reading all of it so you don’t have to. They structure each breakdown as a non-partisan summary of the “story,” followed by their pretty even handed “take” of the situation. This one is a must for any news baes in your life.
The New York Times Morning Briefing Email
A good Monday is an aware Monday, so the NYT’s Morning Briefing email is a great way to get all the essential news you need in one super efficient package. With a mix of domestic, international, wonk-tastic, and general interest (read: warm fuzzies), this is THE way to know where the world is at in the time it takes you to brew a cup of coffee.
This is your brain ready for the work week. Any questions? Photo: Leo Rivas-Micoud
Ann Friedman Newsletter
We’re not sure where we’d be without the force of literary and podcast-ery nature that IS Ann Friedman. An incredible author in her own right and co-hose of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast, Ann (Ms. Friedman if you’re nasty) sends out a Friday newsletter so full of links to excellent longform reads that it 100% carries over to your Monday. Her newsletter is free, but for $5 a year you can become a member and get her irreverent, laugh-out-loud-on-the-metro (just me?) pie charts included in your newsletter. With breakdowns of such pressing questions as “What Are We Doing On This Airplane?” and “How Do We Know We’re Too High?”
Moral of the story? You got this Monday thing in the bag, bb. Go forth and conquer.
Cover image courtesy of Paulette Wooten.