Blue Monday – Most Depressing Day of the Year (17th January, 2022)

You’re not alone if you’re feeling down now that the holiday season is over, another few months of winter are on the horizon, and your New Year’s resolutions are fading away.

Blue Monday, the most depressing and gloomy day of the year, falls in January. Due to a mix of post-Christmas blues, chilly dark evenings, and the delivery of unpaid credit card bills, the third Monday of January has been dubbed as Blue Monday- the most depressing day of the year.

When is Blue Day 2022?

Due to a mix of post-Christmas blues, chilly dark evenings, and the delivery of unpaid credit card bills, the third Monday of January has been dubbed as blue Day. This year’s date is January 17th, 2022.

Is Blue Monday Real?

The month of January is frequently regarded as the most dismal year. In fact, according to iReach Insights study, 56 percent of Irish people believe January is the saddest month, and 51 percent of those under the age of 34 feel depressed and deflated after Christmas.

It’s easy to see why January is regarded as the most dismal month of the year. The days are becoming shorter, the weather is becoming colder and wetter, and many of us have already abandoned our New Year’s resolutions. There are, however, compelling objections against the concept of Blue Monday.

Many experts have dismissed the concept of Blue Monday and labeled it as pseudoscience. They argue that while the original formula for the notion had value, it took on a new life as a marketing and public relations tool for travel companies to sell summer vacations during the slow winter months.

History of  Blue Monday

According to claims from multiple websites, the concept of Blue Monday was created by psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2005 as part of a marketing campaign for the now-defunct company Sky Travel.

Arnall constructed a sophisticated algorithm to identify which day in January would be Blue Monday each year, factoring in weather, debt level, monthly pay, time since Christmas, how long a person has failed to follow their New Year’s resolutions, motivational stories, and the urge to take action.

While all of these criteria may appear to be relevant elements in determining the worst day of the year, many other experts have repeatedly pointed out that they are impossible to decide on, rendering the equation entirely unscientific.

There’s no way to know how long it’s been since someone failed to maintain a New Year’s resolution for everyone on the earth since January weather varies significantly between countries and continents.

Arnall’s View

Arnall told a reporter at a newspaper in 2018 that his goal was to “inspire people to take action and make significant life decisions,” rather than “to make the day sound unpleasant.” He was also said to be working with Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays, having “made it his mission to fight some of the terrible news connected with January and to disprove the melancholy mindset of Blue Monday, according to reports.

The paper made news, and advertising agency Porter Novelli decided to capitalize on the theory’s media attention by launching a series of viral and successful marketing campaigns for the Blue Monday brand.

Since then, the third Monday of the year has been designated as Blue Monday, the day on which we formally return to our usual routine after the Christmas vacations have ended.

Blue Monday Equation

After being approached by Sky Travel to develop a “formula” for the January blues, Arnall came up with one equation. Sky Travel subsequently used the phrase to market their winter offers in a news release.

The equation considered several elements that may lead to low mood, and the results were as follows:

W = weather, D = debt, d = monthly salary, T = time since Christmas, Q = time since failing our new year’s resolutions, M = low motivational levels, Na = the feeling of a need to take action.

Weather conditions, debt level (the difference between accrued debt and our ability to pay), time since Christmas, time since breaking our new year’s resolutions, low motivational stories, and a sense of urgency were allegedly used to determine the date. However, not everything appears to be as it looks, as it comes out that this was merely a publicity stunt by Sky Travel.

Marketing for Mental Health

Even though the hypothesis associated with Blue Monday was refuted within a year after it was conceived, it is still alive and well. And some people still believe in the formula, which has been published in several renowned newspapers and has traveled throughout the world.

The myth of Blue Monday persists despite the phrase coming from an advertising campaign, and there is no solid proof that one day, in particular, increases the chance of people being depressed. Several circumstances, such as post-Christmas financial difficulties, broken New Year’s resolutions, terrible weather, and short daylight hours, may make people feel unhappy at this time of year.

On the other hand, low mood is not the same as depression. Depression is incredibly debilitating, and those who are depressed may feel hopeless, see no reason to live, feel cut off from friends and family, and consider suicide as the only option left.

Depression is not a seasonal occurrence; it can strike at any time of the year. By indicating that the symptoms of such a terrible illness may be experienced in a single day, it trivializes the experiences of those who suffer from symptoms year-round.”

“Days like Blue Monday have, at times, functioned as pegs for our campaigns to raise awareness of the support we offer,” said Simon Gunning, CEO of the campaign against living miserably.

The myth of Blue Monday arose from a greater understanding of actual disorders like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and what might be viewed as more challenging times in the calendar, such as the aftermath of Christmas and the end of vacations.

Should We Move on?

As businesses prepare to sell their wares on Blue Monday, one marketing guru believes it’s time to rethink the formula.” As marketing professionals, we must also evaluate and ask ourselves whether news hooks like these serve the best interests of our clients and their expectations,” said Chris Daly, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

“We know that customers are becoming more interested in firms that do good – and while timely discounts and offers may increase reputation in the near term, consumers are getting concerned that the day trivializes mental health issues.” Marketers should avoid upsetting their customers by anchoring promotions or social content to Blue Monday.” Otherwise, more thought is required.

Why is Blue Monday Necessary?

Blue Monday may have intensified the sense of sadness surrounding January, particularly those suffering from depression and anxiety. They may feel under pressure to get through this particularly depressing holiday. There are seven techniques to improve morale and motivation on Blue Monday.

Reconnect with your loved ones

Keeping in touch with family and friends is one of the simplest methods to improve your mood. Speak to your loved ones this Blue Monday, whether it’s a one-on-one conversation on the phone or FaceTime or a Zoom call with all of your favorite people.

Give flowers to someone

Because putting a smile on someone else’s face is the purpose of life. Someone may be in a worse mood than you. Therefore buying flowers is something you can do to make both of your faces smile.

Get out of the house

Being in nature is the best way to lift one’s spirits when in a bad mood. Get outside and spend some time in the fresh air. There has been a growing interest in investigating the psychological impact of our environment in recent years, and it has been discovered that spending time in green settings can actually improve your mood and even reduce depression symptoms.

Get sunlight

Natural light aids in stabilizing serotonin and releasing endorphins, both of which are mood-enhancing substances. To improve your well-being, try to be outside as often as possible during the day.

Get away for a day

A day trip can help you avoid the harsh reality of bad weather and mounting debt. By Blue Monday, it’s easy to believe that the nights, cold, and general gloom of the post-Christmas winter will never end. So, to think more positively and optimistically about the future, plan a short getaway that you can look forward to and see coming up on the horizon,’

Evaluate yourself

Congratulate yourself on what you’ve accomplished in the last few weeks, and attempt to learn from where things went wrong.

Set goals

Focusing on the goals you can achieve is the best policy for avoiding failure.

Rather than assuming that everything has gone wrong, You should set more realistic goals for the coming months that are easier to apply and integrate into your daily life. Remember that real change comes from being willing to adapt your goals and get back on track when you do fail.

Be sociable

Isolating oneself from the rest of the world until February is the worst error one can make. Although financial considerations may drive the desire to hibernate, being sociable does not have to be costly. You may invite your buddies over for gaming and movie nights.

Get good sleep

One of the most prevalent causes of a negative mood is a lack of sleep, so get a good night’s sleep on Sunday. If you’re experiencing trouble sleeping regularly, try some changes and get help.

While the validity of Blue Monday is often questioned at this time of year, there is no denying that the winter months harm mental health. As a result, you must make an effort to safeguard your health.

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)

Why is Blue Monday the Saddest Day of the Year?

Blue Monday, which falls on the third Monday of January each year, is said to be the saddest day of the year due to a mix of bad weather, long evenings, and the lingering effects of the holiday glut.

Is the Blue Day Equation Reliable?

According to mental health professionals, there is no formula for calculating depression, and it can strike at any time of year. They also claim that the concept of Blue Monday isn’t entirely incorrect. During certain times of the year, your surroundings can significantly impact your mental health.

Shorter days and colder temperatures can decrease your mood and cause Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of sadness. According to Mental Health America, ten million Americans suffer from the condition.

What is the Meaning of a Blue Monday?

The term “Blue Monday” refers to a melancholy or brutal Monday, mainly due to returning to work and routine after a weekend away. It is also known as the saddest day of the year.

Is There Such a Thing as Blue Monday?

Blue Monday is a public relations stunt created to promote holiday sales. It’s a myth, based on factors such as dreary weather, post-Christmas debt, disappointment from failing to keep new year’s resolutions, unhappiness with returning to work, and general doom and gloom.

Since then, it has evolved into a somewhat annual public relations event to promote items that are ostensibly related to increasing our well-being. More often, the things about Blue Monday are based on a complete lack of evidence. Actual scientific studies have never backed up any claims regarding Blue Monday.

Conclusion

Over 13 years, what began as a simple marketing effort has grown in popularity and become ingrained in online culture. Blue Monday currently straddles the line between making January a more depressing month and providing a reason to talk about mental health more freely.

The infamous day is simply another opportunity to boost sales during one of the year’s slowest months for several businesses. So don’t be concerned about what Blue Monday may bring. Ignore the hype, try your best to enjoy the day, and if you haven’t kept your New Year’s resolutions thus far, use today to get back on track at your own pace.

The ‘good’ and ‘poor’ days of mental health are unique. It’s meaningless to try to pinpoint the year’s most sad day because it would be different for every one of us. Each person’s situation is as unique as they are. It’s also crucial to distinguish between feeling low for a short period, which we all experience from time to time, and suffering depression or a mental health problem, which may be pretty disruptive to our daily lives.

This year, perhaps more than any other year in recent memory, the need for us all to take care of our mental health and support one another is plain and essential. The Coronavirus epidemic destroyed many things that ordinarily protect our mental health from social connectivity to financial security and optimism for the future.

Source : Krcmic.com