The third Monday of January is said to be the saddest day of the year as folks grapple with holiday debt, failed New Year’s resolutions and dreary days.
Known as “Blue Monday,” it falls on January 16 this year, and was the term created by Welsh psychologist Cliff Arnoll.
Determining the “saddest day of the year” involved a formula that considered seven things: time since Christmas, monthly salary, weather, debt, time since failed New Year’s resolution attempt, low motivational levels and the need to take action.
Blue Monday indicates it’s a time to take stock of whether goals have been met, resolutions are being followed and the post-holiday mood is in check.
But there really isn’t data to prove that people are at their saddest on the third Monday of January, so experts encourage us not to use it as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Still, the idea of Blue Monday resonates with people because it’s validating. It justifies how we’re feeling and reminds us that we aren’t the only ones feeling this way. More people are dealing with mental health struggles as we trudge through the COVID pandemic, high inflation and the winter season.
Blue Monday has definite ties to Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a very real mood disorder that impacts millions of people mainly in the winter. Its signs include low energy, feeling hopeless, no longer having an interest in activities you once enjoyed and feeling sad most of the day for days on end.
It could also be a marketing ploy.
January and winter are also prime time for marketing schemes to focus on change and self-improvement.
January’s post-holiday-season-of-shopping leaves a marketing void when people are desperate to find meaning in their lives — through materialism or goal-setting.
Experts say it’s okay to feel sad at times; it’s a part of life.
Instead of turning to something exterior to explain how you’re feeling, one expert suggested you “do deeper work to connect with what is of value and what is purposeful in life — we don’t need to be looking toward our social media feeds for our sense of worth.”
If you think you’re dealing with “Blue Monday,” there are things you can do.
Talking to a therapist can help with feeling sadness.
You can find a provider through Psychology Today’s database or get in touch with your health insurance to see what mental health providers are covered under your plan.
And for immediate help, dialing 988, the national mental health hotline, is free and available to all.
988 Lifeline sees boost in use and funding in first months.
Launched in mid-July last year, the 988 number is modeled on the 911 system and is designed to be a memorable and quick number that connects people who are suicidal or in any other mental health crisis to a trained mental health professional. The three digit number replaced the national 10-digit number in mid-July.
The 988 Lifeline received over 1.7 million calls, texts and chats in its first five months. That’s nearly half a million more than the old 10-digit Suicide Prevention Lifeline fielded during the same period the year before.
And the biggest rise in recent months has been in the number of people connecting to the Lifeline via texts and chats.