Finding today a bit tough? You’re probably not the only one.
We don’t want to make your Monday any tougher than it needs to be, but you may well be aware of the fact that today, the third Monday in January, is Blue Monday, regarded as the most depressing day in the calendar year in the northern hemisphere.
For those of you who have no idea what we’re talking about, Blue Monday is a relatively recent phenomenon.
The term was coined in 2005 by a man known as Cliff Arnall, formerly of Cardiff University, who used a light-hearted and very non-scientific formula to calculate that the third Monday in January was the most depressing day of the year.
There have been variations of the formula used since its initial inception, but, basically, it sought to prove that factors such as the weather, low personal finance after Christmas and failure to carry out ambitious New Year’s Resolutions all combined to make the day a particularly tough one to bear.
And, if that wasn’t bad enough, Arnall now reckons that, due to factors such as Brexit, recent celebrity deaths and Donald Trump’s impending inauguration, this year’s Blue Monday might be the most depressing yet.
“Seasonal depression factors are coming together on Blue Monday – and additional concerns make 2017’s Blue Monday even more depressing than other years,” Arnall is quoted as saying in The Telegraph.
“Credit card bills are a big problem after Christmas, snow, ice and floods are causing worries, and many feel a lack of motivation.
“Other extra factors this year are Trump and Brexit causing uncertainty and increasing people’s fears.
“The deaths of so many celebrities, many in their 50s and 60s, has also worried people by reminding them of their own mortality.”
As if Monday wasn’t already bleak enough. Still, things can only get better from here, right?
Still need cheering up? This should do the trick…
