Ian’s blog: Monday Blues

This Blue Monday, client and volunteer Ian Lamb talks about the origins of the day, and how you can turn it on its head and into something positive.

For many people, Blue Monday could be every Monday. If you’ve had a fun-filled weekend or indeed, a weekend that’s incredibly relaxing, then come Monday, when that alarm clock rings at 6am, finding your motivation can be very difficult. You really can’t be bothered and that graveyard shift of Friday 5pm is far too long away. That horrible feeling may be something you experience each Monday!

However, the third Monday of each January has become known as ‘Blue Monday’, and is something of a modern-day legend. Psychologist Cliff Arnall once calculated the most depressing days of the year using a scientific formula, which then led to the phrase ‘January Blues’. This formula is said to have included weather conditions and money issues, and as it’s post-Christmas, people were also said to be ‘more depressed’.

It’s possible that people may be feeling a lack of motivation given that New Year’s Resolutions may have been broken by now, which may see people feeling lost or fed up with nothing changing. However, the legendary tale of the third Monday of January being the most depressing was actually a very clever PR stunt by a certain travel company.

But the motivational message behind it has stuck, because it may just be that very message which inspires you to sit down, have a cuppa, and seek some support, either by confiding in a friend, a relative, or by talking to someone at Mind in Bradford.

After the difficulty of 2020, it’s important to remember that you are not alone. Perhaps you feel lost? Stuck in a rut? Confused? Anxious? Depressed? Suicidal? So much has happened in 2020 that it will take time for things to settle, before we can start to understand and process all the loss that has taken place due to this pandemic. Jobs, money, lifestyles and people, our family, our friends, those we know and love who have sadly died in 2020. And of course, we continue into 2021 with much uncertainty and frustration.

It’s important to check in on our mental health every day, so maybe this Blue Monday could be your start to a New Year and a new you? It could start by you finding compassion for yourself, or by being a friendly ear to someone else. Mind in Bradford have a confidential helpline called Guide-Line, so you really don’t need to suffer in silence. Seek support. Good luck x

Posted on: 15th December 2020