What Is Blue Monday & How Can You Beat Monday Blues?

Blue Monday this year lands on the 15th January. It is called ‘Blue’ Monday as it is associated with being the most depressing day of the year. Why? Well we’ll come to that a little later in this blog.

The concept of Blue Monday was first published by a travel company in 2005, who claimed that it had created a formula which took certain variables into account like weather conditions, debt levels (post-Christmas time), and the likelihood that people had already failed their New Year’s resolutions. As a result the day was coined as the most ‘depressing day’ of the year.

Unfortunately, Blue Monday is what we deem to be ‘pseudoscience’ – there’s no real validity to it as being the most depressing day of the year. The formula used, actually lacks scientific validity and the idea of pinpointing the most depressing day of the year is subjective and oversimplified. More likely the travel company used the concept of Blue Monday to sell holiday packages (oh, capitalism!).

Despite the lack of empirical research and evidence, anecdotally many people report January as a difficult month. The gear up to Christmas and New year is gone, pressures of the festive period and the December paycheck are long gone and the cold dark winter nights (without the allure of Christmas) have created a dispiriting atmosphere.

But regardless of the accuracy of Blue Monday, if you are noticing a decline in your mood here are a few suggestions of things you could try:

1. Acknowledge that you are feeling a little down, acknowledge this

without judgement. Bear in mind that many feel similarly at this part of the year. Give yourself the space to recognise that emotions are a normal part of life, and it may help to reduce the intensity of the emotions rather than pushing away or ignoring your emotionality.

1. Use self-reflection to take some time to reflect on and notice what might be contributing factors to your mood. Anything specific that could be worked on? Even if not, it can be helpful to journal and become more aware of yourself and your feelings.

1. Connect with loved ones, low mood tends to make us want to withdraw and isolate. So, it might be helpful to reach out to friends and family and share a little of your experience or just spend time with them.

1. Engage in fun pleasurable activities that you enjoy; again, low mood tends to make us less interested and less motivated in our hobbies or interests. Make time to read a book, go for a walk, learn something new or prioritise activities that make you feel good.?

1. Practice self-care! The foundation to self-care is to look after your sleep, eat nourishing meals, drink enough water, and move your body.

1. Seek professional support – if you are constantly feeling low or overwhelmed then you may want to consider reaching out to a mental health professional like HelloSelf or your local NHS talking therapies. This could provide more specific guidance and support to help navigate your wellbeing.

Tough times are a part of life and we’ll never be able to avoid them completely. However, the actions we take when we’re in moments of difficulty can impact how long and how arduous these periods are.

Don’t be too hard on yourself, there are no perfect ways to get by, but if things aren’t getting any easier, have a look at what you’re doing and see if there are changes you can make.

As always, HelloSelf can match you to a therapist that specialises in your needs, should you want to speak to a professional.