How to beat Blue Monday, the hardest day of the year

Science has proven that today will be one of the hardest, most grim days of the year...

It’s Monday. It’s January. You’re broke, you’re slumped at your desk and it’s raining. Welcome, gentlemen, to Blue Monday. It’s been 12 years since science actually acknowledged that today had the potential to be the most depressing day of the year: in 2005, Dr Cliff Arnall came up with the theory based on the time of year, the weather, post-Christmas dept, post-holiday blues – and bought us Blue Monday. So what is it, and how can you beat it?

According to Arnall, the third Monday in January is when anxiety after Christmas peaked: you’re faced with credit card bills from the Christmas spree you went on, the novelty of your Christmas presents and what you did on your blissful two weeks off have worn off in a big way and you’re faced, cold and alone, with the prospect of another 349 days of the year to get through. What’s worse is the bleakness of what 2017 is going to bring. By the end of this week, we’ll have a new president of America and soon after that, we’re going to start feeling the effects of Brexit. So, with all this in mind, how can you get through the hardest day of the year?

With risk of annoying anyone reading this who also happens to have a tiny violin stored away in their desk drawer: it’s time to man up. The world is full of trials and tribulations and if you spent too much over Christmas, there are bigger and better things to worry about. Put your life in perspective; you have a roof over your head, a job to go into everyday and enough internet to be able to read this article. It’s not that bad and it could be a lot worse so man up, put your life in perspective and realise that in a couple of hours you’ll be able to go home and this day will be over.

If you’re struggling with the above and perspective isn’t something you can easily get used to, there are a couple of things that’ll help you along the way. Being more mindful of your life in general is the best way to compartmentalise everything in your life; it can help you to stay calm in situations you might normally struggle with, to focus on the more important things in your life rather than the smaller, more easily solvable ones. It might sound hippy-drippy, but it’s not. Mindfulness is a proven way of tackling the anxiety that days like today bring and there are a plethora of platforms that can help you on your way (try a 10-day free trail of the Headspace app to get you going).

Having to witness people you don’t even know smugly posting photos from the other side of the world is only going to elevate your rage and make you feel worse. Avoid social media of all kinds today and instead try and use your time more wisely and thoughtfully (see above if you need reminding).

Don’t be that guy: don’t walk into the office and moan, don’t sit at your desk and moan, don’t email your colleagues and moan. Moaning about how terrible the day’s going is only going to make matters worse than they need to be, as it’s a surefire way to trick your mind into thinking that the day is a lot worse than it actually needs to be. That, and you’re only putting your foul mood onto others which is not only unproductive, but also unfair. You’re better than that, gentlemen.

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