Blue Monday: The Saddest Day of The Year is Here

By WeMystic

Reading time: 0 min

The third Monday of January is considered Blue Monday. Even though it is clear that the formula created it is not science-based, around the world there are customs and celebrations of Blue Monday.

Blue Monday is a designation given to the third Monday of January. Based on the publication of Cliff Arnall of 2005. By that time, Cliff Arnall, then a tutor at the Centre for Lifelong Learning at Cardiff University, published that this day was the most depressing day of the year based on the following formula:

[W + (D-d)] x T^Q} ÷ [M x N_a]

Astrology Tips in Your Inbox!

the weather (W),
the standing for debt (D),
the standing for monthly salary (d),
the motivational levels (M),
the feeling of a need to take action (Na)

All of that variables result in a depressing day. From then on, the third Monday of January is considered to be the saddest day of the year.

Blue Monday: the real meaning

Since 2005, the history regarding Cliff Arnall’s publication has had different versions. It was inclusively considered a marketing strategy of the holiday company Sky Travel.

A television channel devoted to programs about travelling, to sell more packages in January. Once the publication was part of a 2005 press release from this company. Since then, other companies have used the Blue Monday concept to sell products related to the improvement of well-being and self-care.

January Influences

Also, the formula has been contested since forever, since its elements cannot be applied to all the hemispheres. The middle of January can be, in fact, a rough time of the year.

In the northern hemisphere there’s a lack of sunlight, and people are lacking money due to the expenses with Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. Getting back to work can be hard. New Year’s resolutions, defined in highly motivated moments, can start to be seen as too hard to accomplish.

Blue Monday: Opportunity for Self-Reflection

In spite of it, Blue Monday is not to blame for or to legitimize the low mood and the inability to step into action. Actually, it can be seen in the opposite way. If we’re feeling like just surviving the “blues”, we should take the opportunity to face ourselves. To see what is really blocking us or preventing us from moving forward.

In 2018, Cliff Arnall told The Independent newspaper that it was never his “intention to make the day sound negative,” but “to inspire people to take action and make bold life decisions.” The publication of Cliff Arnall has received many comments over time, even from mental health professionals.

Isabella Goldie, director of development and delivery at the London-based Mental Health Foundation, used it to explain an important difference between feeling sad or gloomy for a day and real mental illness. A different combination of factors can make people feel sad or down, and, in fact, the environment affects the people’s mental health. However, Blue Monday cannot be considered the saddest day of the year.

Around the world

Around the world there are customs and celebrations of Blue Monday. Some people celebrate by staying at home, listening to sad music, and avoiding happy greetings and joyful moments. Others do the opposite by seeing comedies, eating blue foods like blueberry pies, drinking blueberry wine, giving happy greetings, and enjoying good moments.

Another way to live it is to look at what possibly failed in the New Year’s resolutions and make new ones and a plan to accomplish them. It is natural, due to the motivation of the beginning of a new year, to define objectives based on high expectations without having a step-by-step plan.

The “blues” exists to show us that it is ok to feel down because we failed or because our motivation is low. But we can see them like a reminder to get up and make things happen. So, what will you do on this day?

You may also like: