Feeling miserable this morning? That is because January 15 is supposedly the most depressing day this year. A combination of three reasons makes the third Monday of the year the most miserable. Understanding that Christmas really is over, the realisation of all the holiday expenses and the fact that most of us are back at work all play a part. First invented in Britain, Blue Monday is especially sad in the northern half of the world, where it’s also deep, dark midwinter.
It was in 2005 that Cliff Arnall, a university lecturer from Wales, dreamt up his gloomy calculation using the above three main factors to find the date of the most depressing day in the year. He also took into account things like the weather, the period since we’ve broken our New Year’s resolutions and our general motivational level.
However, there is hope, say psychologists, as Blue Monday was really all a marketing trick. January in the UK is peak holiday booking time and the original research was paid for by a travel agent who wanted to persuade people to cheer up by heading to the beach. Preferably through them.
While there is no scientific evidence of Blue Monday on the third Monday of January – or any other Monday in a year – research shows us that our mood is significantly better on Fridays and over the weekend in general. This is generally because we get more sleep and “me time” to spoil ourselves.
Dr Burke, a psychologist, says that “since Blue Monday is a trick that may affect our thinking and emotions so much, we should turn it into Happy Monday. Instead of searching for all that is going badly on the day, think of all the good things that happen around you – that woman who held the bus door to prevent it from closing, the old lady who smiled at you for no reason or the little boy who gave you a big hug.”