Ah, Mondays. Garfield famously said, “I hate Mondays,” and let’s be real—he wasn’t wrong. They’re the universally dreaded start of the workweek, and most of us are just trying to survive until coffee kicks in. Enter the Monday Karen. Because, of course, Karen energy doesn’t take weekends off—it just shifts into an extra obnoxious gear when the week begins.
A Monday Karen can take many forms. Maybe she’s the coworker who storms into the office at 9:01 a.m., demanding updates on tasks she didn’t bother to review over the weekend. Or perhaps she’s the customer in line at the coffee shop, loudly critiquing the barista’s speed while the rest of us just want our caffeine fix. She might even show up in your inbox, sending a wall of emails with “URGENT” in all caps before you’ve had a chance to open your first tab. Whatever her mode of delivery, a Monday Karen has one mission: to make the most universally disliked day of the week even worse.
How Can a Monday Karen Make It Worse?
It’s not just her demands—it’s the timing. Mondays are already a fragile balancing act of shaking off the weekend and gearing up for the week. A Monday Karen amplifies the stress, making everything feel more urgent and overwhelming than it actually is. She thrives on stirring the pot when everyone else is still trying to find the lid. Worse, she rarely takes accountability for her Monday mood, projecting her stress onto everyone else.
For example:
- At Work: She’ll insist on a “quick meeting” that eats up half your morning and leaves you more confused than before.
- In Line: She’ll huff and puff about how “this place used to be faster” while holding up the line with her overly complicated order.
- Online: She’ll flood social media or group chats with passive-aggressive posts about how she’s the only one “actually working” today.
How to Respond to a Monday Karen
The trick to handling a Monday Karen is to avoid letting her chaos pull you in. Here’s how:
- Set Boundaries Early: If it’s work-related, let her know that you’ll address her concerns after you’ve had time to prioritize. For example: “I’ll need some time to review this—let’s touch base later this afternoon.”
- Stay Unbothered: If you’re dealing with a Monday Karen in public (like the coffee shop), channel your inner Garfield. A little side-eye and a smile can work wonders. Bonus points if you keep scrolling your phone or pretend to be lost in thought. Her antics? Not your problem.
- Use Humor to Defuse: Humor can neutralize Karen energy. If she’s stressing over something minor, try responding with a lighthearted comment like, “It’s Monday—everything’s moving a little slower today, including me.”
- Don’t Engage in Her Spiral: Karen thrives on drama. Instead of feeding into it, take a deep breath, focus on your task, and remind yourself that Mondays end eventually.
Mondays are tough enough without a Karen adding to the mix. But the good news is, you don’t have to let her ruin your day. Whether you set boundaries, stay calm, or lean into humor, you have the tools to handle her chaos and keep your Monday on track.
If Mondays were shoes, they’d be ugly ones.
Garfield
So, when the next Monday Karen comes your way, channel your inner Garfield, grab another coffee, and remember: you’ve got this—even on a Monday.
