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Are you feeling a little down today? You might not be alone.
January 21, 2019, is statistically the depressing day of the year – labeled ‘Blue Monday’. The annual phenomenon started in 2005 by Dr. Cliff Arnall – who sought specific factors that all pointed towards the sadness we tend to feel at this time of year.
What Is Blue Monday?
The date of Blue Monday relies on different elements, including weather, debt, time since Christmas, failing new year’s resolutions, and lack of motivation. According to Dr. Arnall, this specific Monday is when all of those factors hit a peak – resulting in the sadness you probably feel right now.
Below is a ‘scientific’ formula explaining how all the aspects of our lives cause this inalienable sadness:
Despite how it may look, Blue Monday is actually nothing more than a marketing ploy. In 2018, Dr. Arnall revealed that he was working with Sky Travel to boost summer holiday bookings.
“I was originally asked to come up with what I thought was the best day to book a summer holiday. When I started thinking about the motives for booking a holiday, reflecting on what thousands had told me during stress management or happiness workshops, there were these factors that pointed to the third Monday in January as being particularly depressing.”
It’s true that his research would suggest this is a depressing time of year. Most likely, we are still carrying the holiday weight we gained at Christmas and have failed to succeed at our New Year’s resolutions. When you add cold and rainy weather on a Monday morning – yeah, it can get depressing.
“But it is not particularly helpful to put that out there and say ‘there you are’ – it is almost a self-fulfilling prophecy that it is the most depressing day.”
How To Overcome Blue Monday
What can we do? Well, Dr. Arnall suggests taking control of our life choices and making a change for the better. This can be embarking on a new career, making new friends, or picking up a new hobby. If anything, BLue Monday can offer the inspiration to finally get going and make the positive changes we want in our lives.
What do you hope to achieve in 2019? Now is the perfect time to get going.
