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- Blue Monday, the third Monday in January, is often labeled the most depressing day of the year. This sad reputation stems from factors like post-holiday blues, cold weather, financial stress, and decreased motivation.
- If this time of year has you feeling down, maintaining good mental health practices can alleviate symptoms, prevent them from worsening, and support long-term well-being.
- Key self-care strategies include regular exercise, staying socially connected, engaging in hobbies, eating well, spending time outdoors, and maintaining cleanliness.
- Establishing a mental health plan in advance can make it easier to cope when your energy levels are low. Consider seeking professional counseling to receive more personalized support.
In the early 2000s, a travel company labeled the third Monday in January as the most depressing day of the year and named it “Blue Monday.” While data hasn’t proven the day to be more depressing than any other, the name stuck.
Whether or not Blue Monday is really the most depressing day of the year, you can protect your well-being by informing yourself, practicing good self-care, and if necessary, seeking help from a mental health professional. Read on to learn about Blue Monday, its validity, and how you can insulate your mental health this winter season and year-round.
What Is Blue Monday? Why Is It Considered the Most Depressing Day of the Year?
Blue Monday is a term created by the TV channel Sky Travel that refers to the third Monday in January as the most “depressing” day of the year. It was selected due to many factors, including:
- Its placement in the calendar
- Forecasted weather events
- Climate
- Temperature
- People’s overall mental and emotional well-being
- Perceived levels of financial security
- Time that occurs after the Christmas and Winter holidays
- Reported low levels of motivation
- Time that’s elapsed between setting a New Year’s goal and the follow-through on that goal
It’s considered that a combination of these factors leads people to feel down or melancholy and lack motivation and energy levels around this time of year. However, in recent years, the overall plausibility of Blue Monday has been called into question.
Is Blue Monday Real?
Despite its reputation, there is no firm data that proves that the third Monday in January is the “most depressing day” of the year. However, the thoughts behind the day’s selection do have some validity.
One of the most commonly discussed factors contributing to poor mental health in the winter is seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Attributed to a lack of exposure to sunlight and shorter days, SAD often starts in the fall and lasts well through winter, though it can also crop up in the summer months on occasion.
Stress can also increase in January. The combination of financial stress coming out of the holidays, the pressure of newly established goals, and short days with less time to complete tasks can lead to a lack of motivation and subsequent shame and worry about life and responsibilities.
However, though these factors can negatively impact mental health, “Blue Monday” itself is an ordinary day during a particularly difficult season, without data singling it out as “worse” than any others.
Why Is It Important to Maintain Good Mental Health Practices When Feeling Depressed?
When feeling low or depressed, maintaining your overall wellness and taking care of your mental health will help alleviate the intensity of your depression symptoms. Not only that, it can also help keep current symptoms from worsening and prevent the development of new ones.
It’s also important to maintain those mental health practices and incorporate them into your routine, even when you’re not feeling depressed. It’s much easier to maintain and elevate mood levels when self-care and wellness behaviors are already a predictable part of your routine.
What Can I Do to Help Myself When Feeling Depressed?
One of the best ways to effectively manage and treat depression is to seek professional counseling services and receive personalized, tailored support that meets your individual needs. Outside of counseling, some coping skills that can help alleviate levels of depression are:
- Exercising: Moving your body and elevating your heart rate has been shown to be effective is improving mood and overall mental health. Exercise releases endorphins in the brain, which help reduce stress and increase feelings of well-being.
- Staying engaged in your social support system: Social interaction and support are an important part of maintaining good mental and emotional health, as they can help stave off feelings of loneliness and isolation and keep depressive symptoms at bay.
- Engaging in hobbies regularly: Hobbies can help you get out of a slump by increasing your motivation and ability to focus, adding to your confidence, and giving you a creative outlet for self-expression.
- Eating a well-balanced diet: Having a well-rounded and diverse diet gives your brain better fuel and your body more energy, thereby improving your overall mood.
- Spending time outside: Getting fresh air and spending time in the sun when possible by taking short walks or even just standing outdoors for a few minutes can improve sleep, reduce stress, increase brain function, and boost mood, all adding to your mental well-being.
- Keeping up with cleanliness: Maintaining personal hygiene and keeping your home environment clean can play a significant role in elevating mood when experiencing depression.
It can help to try multiple types of self-care, find a few that feel like they work well for you, and use them to create a plan for when your mental health takes a turn. By establishing a plan when you feel okay, you make it easier for you to take care of yourself in the future when your energy is already low.
The Bottom Line
Blue Monday might be just another Monday, but it’s still important to prioritize your mental well-being and take steps to manage any depressive symptoms you may be experiencing. If you need additional support, reach out to a professional for help.
