Blue Monday? Now I know.

Good news!

The most depressing day of the year is behind us.

Last Monday was Blue Monday, the third Monday of the year. And apparently also the most depressing day of the year.

I was not aware. 

Until I met with a client at 5 pm that day during a video call. He mentioned that Blue Monday was almost over, and I had no clue what he was talking about.

I thanked him for giving me an idea for my next post, and he replied by expressing the wish to be part of my mailing list. So Blue Monday resulted in one new subscriber.

Happy Monday to me!

Then I did my not-so-sophisticated research, in this case, Wikipedia. 

And I learned that Blue Monday is the most depressing day because of a formula that looks like this.

Good luck!

For your information. There are also different formulas available.

This formula uses many factors, including weather conditions, debt level (the difference between debt accumulated and ability to pay), time since Christmas, time since new year’s resolutions have been broken, low motivational levels, and the feeling of a need to take action.

With the weather being a factor, this obviously implies that Blue Monday is only valid for those countries where it’s winter at the moment. 

No Blue Monday in the Maldives. 

In the Maldives, it’s blue every day. Whether we speak about the seawater, the sky, or the color of some of the cocktails.

The Wikipedia article also mentions that Blue Monday has existed already since 2005. I must have been sleeping, or I’m not subject to depressive thoughts on Mondays.

I have no issue with Monday, unlike many other people. In the 80s, the Boomtown Rats also didn’t like Mondays: “tell me why I don’t like Mondays.”

But the formula does not mention that the day of the week is a factor.

The inventor of the formula and Blue Monday apologized in 2018 that “it was never his intention to make the day sound negative,” but rather “to inspire people to take action and make bold life decisions.”

Let’s get this clear.

1. You spend hours, or perhaps even days, or weeks, fabricating a complicated formula to calculate depression levels.
   
2. You conclude that the highest levels of depression are typically seen in January. Logical to me when you look at some of the factors in the formula.
   
3. You call the day Blue Monday.

And then you’re surprised people perceive the day as negative and are not inspired to make bold life decisions.

Monday. January. Weather. Debt. Xmas over. Failed resolutions. Low motivation.

Long story short, what a BS.

We all have good or bad days. We all have periods in a year we may enjoy more than others. We all have situations we can’t influence that happen to us.

Life is still 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it.

Charles R. Swindoll.

It’s your mindset before anything else.

Blue Monday is not for me. I had a good, productive day, and the sun was shining all day. Yes, I could not sit outside in the garden, but that will come again soon. 

And, still, I’m grateful I know now about Blue Monday. It provided me with a good story.

Your turn: Blue Monday?

Do more of what makes you happy!

Erikjan