What is Blue Monday?
It’s the third week of January, and the post-festive sadness has officially set in. Then comes the third Monday of January - Blue Monday, supposedly the most depressing day of the year. Monday is already everybody’s least favourite day of the week, but Blue Monday is said to be the time when the winter blues reaches its peak. However, despite its rather negative name and connotation, the reason does lack scientific validity.
The term was coined by Dr. Cliff Arnall, a psychologist who helped create the concept for the holiday company Sky Travel. Although Blue Monday could have easily been dismissed as a PR stunt, the phrase stuck as Arnall pinpointed several factors contributing to people’s increased low mood during this period.
What makes it so blue?
Cold weather and lack of sunlight
Debt accumulated post the festive period
The time since Christmas and the distance remaining until pay day
Failed New Year’s resolutions
Low motivation and productivity
How does it affect mental health?
All of the above factors can contribute to a slump in everyone’s mood. Going to work on a Monday after the festive period can be challenging enough, and with SAD affecting a lot of people, you might feel particularly more sluggish, depressive, and demotivated.
Blue Monday highlights the importance of checking in on others and their mental health. However, mental health issues can occur all year round. The day acts as a reminder that people's mental health should be prioritised and proactively tended to no matter the time of year, but especially on more challenging days. Employers should use Blue Monday as an opportunity to address and improve mental well-being and awareness in the work environment.
How can you beat the blue Monday blues?
Waking up early Monday morning for another week of meetings, long days, and deadlines can be stressful and tiring. It’s important to make sure you find ways to help motivate yourself and better deal with more stressful days. Boosting your feel-good hormones such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine levels is a great way to increase motivation and happiness levels. Try listening to music you enjoy, spending time in nature, or completing a self-care activity. Some other things you could try are:
Practice Exercise and Meditation
Exercise and meditation are great ways to ease the mind and relax. Exercise releases endorphins that can help to increase your mood and energise the body. For those who don’t like to work out, meditation and other mindfulness activities are another great option to soothe anxious feelings and low mood. It’s also important to ensure that you are getting enough sleep during the night so that you can start the day fresh and not feel sluggish.
Eating Healthy
It might seem like a simple option, but eating healthy food that is high in protein and good fats can make you feel better. The food that you eat every day can affect your physical and mental well-being. Alcohol, junk food, and processed food can also affect emotional health and can have a negative effect on mood, increasing the risk of stress, anxiety, and depression. Having a healthy diet can help you feel better both physically and mentally during the winter blues.
Spend time with others
January is a month when mental health is at its lowest, so it’s important to spend time with others and have a strong support system. When people feel down, it can lead to isolation and not getting outside. This can intensify depressive and negative emotions and affect mental health. Make sure you reach out to those close to you and spend quality time with others, not just alone. Let’s all support each other.
Develop your sense of control
It’s easy to get overwhelmed and overthink things that are out of our control. Stephen Covey introduced the framework of the ‘Circle of concern’ and ‘Circle of influence’ as a psychological concept that distinguishes between the things we care about but can’t control the things we care about and can change.
The concept can be used to encourage you to focus more on the things you can control, which can help alleviate feelings of worry and anxiety. Most of the time you’ll realise that the things that were causing you stress, you can’t do anything about, which will alter your attitude and response to them.
When we are reactive, we focus too much on our circle of concern, which are the things we have little to no control over such as the economy, war, the news, and other people’s behaviour. Whereas, when we are proactive, we turn our attention to the things we can do something about – our circle of influence. This can include our attitude, our behaviour, what we eat, what we buy and who we surround ourselves with. This helps us to create more opportunities for ourselves and worry less about the things we can’t control.
For Employers:
Offer flexible working hours
January is a dark, gloomy month with cold weather and long days. Why not offer flexible working hours/days to your employees to help alleviate stress and SAD This provides your staff with more work-life balance and shows that you trust them and their ability to do their work effectively.
Check-in with remote staff
If you have staff members who work remotely from home, make sure you check in with them and how they’re feeling and if they need any extra support.
Encourage staff to take regular breaks
With longer, darker days, often people wake up in the darkness and get home after work to more darkness. Encourage your employees to take short breaks throughout the day to stay productive and step outside during lunch for some sunlight and fresh air.
Acknowledge good work
Remember that this time of year is when staff often feel unmotivated and unproductive due to financial stress and seasonal burnout. Acknowledge any good work you see and make them feel appreciated to help them feel more motivated and positive.
Fun team-building activities
Schedule in some fun team-building/wellbeing activities such as yoga, a trivia quiz, or a mini-game. Why not buy the team breakfast? This can help your team bond, give them something to look forward to, and spread some cheer throughout the office even on Blue Monday.