So tomorrow, Monday 20th January 2020, is, apparently, Blue Monday. This day falls on the 3rd Monday of January and is, according to Google, the day that is the most depressing day of the year. Nice!
Apparently, a university professor precisely calculated this using a formula that included looking at the weather, the time since Christmas and our new years resolutions were made (how are yours going by the way?), the time that people’s motivation levels are supposedly at the lowest, debt level and numerous other factors. However Wikipedia (obviously a valued and trusted source of information!!!???) say’s it was introduced by a travel company. Whatever you believe this time of year is a difficult one, large bills, rubbish weather and dark nights.
With this in mind how do you look after yourself and your mental well-being through this time of year? Personally, I like to get out and about walking my dog, spend time with my family, crochet, read, watch films and try and go to the gym. I find this combination of activity and relaxation works well for me, what about you?
Some other things that may help include;
- Having something to look forward to – plan a big night out, a meal or a holiday (oh now I wonder why a holiday company came up with the concept of blue Monday in the first place??).
- Declutter – blitz a room in your home, or all the rooms.
- Sleep – get yourself into a better sleep routine, eliminate blue light and distractions in your bedroom, go to bed a bit earlier if needs be.
- Have a go at some meditation/mindfulness – there are loads of good apps out there to do this, I always recommend Headspace and Calm to my clients.
- Self-care – invest in you, set aside some time every day/week to do something for you, that you enjoy.
- Spend time with friends and family
- Draw up an action plan – this can be a plan to sort out those dreaded bills or to get back on track with your resolutions.
- Be kind to yourself, it is ok to feel low at times – you are doing the best you can with what you have.
- Eat well – ear a balanced diet (but allow yourself some cheat’s now and then)
- Engage in some gentle exercise, something that you like doing, better if its outside but indoors is good too.
- Do some random acts of kindness – doing something nice for others or helping them has actually been proven to help benefit your own well-being.
There will be many more – what others do you know of?
An article here https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7895803/Psychologist-reveals-Blue-Monday-gloom-bay.html
Gives some more tips that may work for you.
Doing things like this can really help with feeling low anytime of the year but it is important to remember that these things are not the be all and end all. It can really help to talk with someone, a friend, family member or someone impartial, like a counsellor, to really look at what is going on for you and what the root cause is of this feeling. If the low feelings are really bad and last a while it may even be worth talking to your GP about it.
Look after yourself!