All That Is Fake About Blue Monday

Blue Monday – have you heard about it? If not, this is what you need to know about this famous day to separate truth from fiction.

The period of post-holiday blues can be particularly pronounced on the third Monday of January, a day ominously dubbed “Blue Monday.” But is this notion of an annual peak in depression scientifically sound? Or is it simply a marketing ploy to capitalize on the tendency to indulge in self-pity?

Blue Monday – The Origins

Blue Monday emerged in 2005 when a British travel company, Sky Travel, launched a marketing campaign claiming to have calculated the date using an “equation.” The equation, which was never published or formally validated, purportedly took into account various factors such as weather conditions, debt levels, and time since Christmas.

Psychologists and scientists have widely dismissed the concept of Blue Monday as pseudoscience. There is no scientific evidence to support the idea that there is a single day in the year that is universally more depressing than others. Depression is a complex condition with multiple contributing factors, and it is not likely to be caused by a single external event or coincidence.

Understanding the Post-Holiday Blues

While there is no such thing as a “Blue Monday,” it is true that many people experience a dip in mood after the holidays. This is often due to a combination of factors, including:

• The abrupt end of the festive season: After the excitement and abundance of the holidays, many people find it difficult to adjust to the routine and austerity of everyday life.
• Social withdrawal: The holidays are often for social gatherings and catch-ups with loved ones. As the festivities end, many people may feel isolated and lonely.
• Financial strain: The holiday season can strain finances, as people spend more money than usual on gifts, travel, and entertainment. This financial stress can contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression.

Coping with the Post-Holiday Blues

If you are experiencing feelings of sadness, isolation, or hopelessness after the holidays, there are things you can do to cope:

• Prioritize self-care: Make sure you get enough sleep, eat healthy foods, and exercise regularly. These activities can help to improve your mood and overall well-being.
• Connect with loved ones: Spend time with family and friends who uplift and support you. Social connection is essential for mental health.
• Seek professional help: If you are struggling to cope with your emotions, don’t hesitate to reach out to a therapist or counsellor. They can provide you with personalized support and help you develop coping mechanisms.

Remember, you are not alone in experiencing the post-holiday blues. By caring for yourself and seeking support when needed, you can navigate this challenging period and emerge feeling refreshed and renewed.

Universally associated negative psychological effects these days do not exist. There is only what we attribute to it. If we start from the belief that Blue Monday has a factual basis, we don’t feed ourselves with negative emotions, and we don’t convince ourselves that it won’t go wrong, well, then we risk having a really bad day.

Psychologist Steliana Lefter from Medikali Clinic

There is some truth in this concept, though. Starting from the studies that certify “winter blues” – in the cold season, we have lower morale than in the summer because the shorter days and the lack of sunlight cause a biochemical imbalance in the brain -the idea of identifying the saddest days appeared of the year—and implicitly proposing the solution to combat it: a vacation.

It was co-opted into the project of a professor from Cardiff University, Cliff Arnall, who, based on a mathematical formula, declared Blue Monday the third Monday of the year. What he considered when determining the “saddest day of the year”: weather conditions, level of debt, level of motivation, time since Christmas and New Year’s resolutions.

According to Arnall’s calculations, the third Monday of the year meets all the conditions to be called “the saddest day of the year” because the spirit of Christmas, with the peak of joy it brings us, is gone; we already find that we can’t keep our New Year’s resolutions and lack motivation, we’ve reached credit card debt for holiday gifts, and it’s cold and ugly outside, not a good time to be in the mood.

Apart from that, mental health experts call the calculations behind Blue Monday, or pseudoscience, an absurd formula and warn that the popularization of this myth harms the discussion of genuine mental health issues by trivializing depression and other disorders, which do not go away or heal with the holiday.

There is still a stigma, and there are still people who don’t realize the seriousness of mental illness. Stories like this don’t help the awareness efforts that doctors are making—quite the contrary. You, a doctor, explain that therapy is crucial in depression. Still, on the Internet and in social media, the idea is circulating that depression is just a state of heightened sadness that passes with a vacation or, why not, with a shopping session. At a deep level, turning this myth into reality through popularization can be dangerous. My advice is to sift through information and not be swayed by this fake news. The third Monday of the year is a day like any other, without any particular charge, which every one shapes as they wish.

Psychologist Steliana Lefter