Are you not feeling good about yourself? A little down? Completely depressed? Maybe it’s because of Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year! Around the twentieth of January you can’t open a newspaper without it saying something about Blue Monday! You also keep hearing about it on the radio. And say that it simply started as a publicity stunt with the collaboration of British psychologist Cliff Arnall!
What is Blue Monday?
Depressed? Not feeling well? A little down? Check the calendar: it’s Blue Monday! Blue Monday is a Monday in January when everyone should feel bad. Winter, dark days, long nights, the parties just over, a hole in your budget, no holiday in prospect, and so on. You would feel bad about yourself for less. Fortunately, the media and radio stations take advantage of this and you can choose nice songs that should make you happy and in a good mood.
Blue Monday: origins
Publicity stunt
The Blue Monday phenomenon came about after a publicity stunt by the travel agency Sky Travel. The intention was to encourage people to book their summer holidays at the end of January. That is why they wanted to give them a bad feeling and to emphasize to them once again what a sad period they were now in.
More credible thanks to the support of psychologist Cliff Arnall
It was only when the British psychologist Cliff Arnall put his name to the phenomenon and also devised a formula to calculate the date of this Blue Monday every year, that the dolls really started dancing.
The formula to calculate Blue Monday
Complicated formula by Cliff Arnall
To calculate the exact date of this Blue Monday, Cliff Arnall came up with a formula, namely [W + (D – d)] x TQ divided by M x Na, where W is the measure of the weather, D for debts, d for the monthly salary, T the time since Christmas, Q the failure or success of the good intentions, M the motivation level and Na the feeling to take action. Blue Monday usually falls on the Monday of the last full week of January. Despite the fact that this formula is not really scientific, many people attach importance to it and the phenomenon is eagerly discussed in the press and on the radio. The university where Cliff Arnall depended distanced itself from the phenomenon.
Confusion in 2017
In 2017 there was some confusion. Some think that Blue Monday falls on the third Monday in January. Others say it falls on the Monday of the last full week of January. Usually these two dates coincide, but in 2017 this was not the case. That is why Blue Monday in 2017 was ,celebrated, by some on January 16 and by others on January 23.
Why Blue Monday?
Why do people get depressed on Blue Monday? There are many reasons for this.
Winter is at its peak
If the autumn has been bad, there seems to be no end to the inclement weather. It is cold and gloomy and if you are unlucky, there is also snow and sleet. No fun if you have to go through here by car!
Spring is still far away
Or at least, that’s how it seems. Because of the bleak weather you don’t expect much sun right away. Nature looks barren and dreary. There is no sign of flowers yet, most of the birds are still gone, there are no bees buzzing and there are few animals in the meadows.
The next salary will take some time
The month of January is a long month. So you will have to wait a while for the next salary. And the previous one has already melted like snow in the sun due to the sales.
The month of December left big holes in the budget
It is common knowledge that December is an expensive month. Parties, dinners, presents, it puts a hole in your budget. Many people have gone below zero and are paying the price for it in January.
The parties are over
Ok, the month of December is expensive but also cool. And suddenly in January: the fun is gone, the extra holidays are over, the lights and trees are tidied up and the family gatherings are over. The children have returned to school, leaving a void in the house.
The good intentions have failed
If we make a lot of good intentions at the end of December, by January there will soon be none left. And so we feel bad again. Why don’t those extra pounds come off easier? Why are you unable to quit smoking? Why does the weather continue to be so bad? This doesn’t motivate you to go running! Why do those pints always taste so good? Why doesn’t the inspiration come to write that book?
The holidays still seem so far away
For the lucky ones, the next holiday is at Easter, about three months away. The less fortunate have to wait until the big holidays. Six more months! an eternity!
The days are long and dark and the weather is gloomy
It is winter and so the days are short and the nights are long. Leaving in the dark in the morning and returning in the dark in the evening is not very good for your mood! Add to that dreary weather and most people soon lack sunlight. You’d get depressed for less!
It’s Monday and Monday is always a bad day
Monday is already a bad day for most people. The weekend is over and you have to get back to work. Done with freedom!
Press and media
The press and media are cleverly capitalizing on this phenomenon. In 2013, for example, the readers of DM (De Morgen) had to vote for the saddest track of all time. ,Hurt,, Johnny Cash’s cover of the Nine Inch Nails song of the same name, was voted the saddest song ever. Nirvana’s Something In the Way was number two, Joy Division’s Decades number three, Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven number four and Therapy’s Diane number five. Studio Brussel also filled airtime with it. You could request the happiest record from them as an antidote and you were asked to wear a blue outfit. Every year, radio stations respond to the Blue Monday hype. Or how a publicity stunt is still successful years later and keeps people entertained!
Is there also a happiest day of the year?
Sure. Following the most depressing day of the year, there is also the happiest day of the year. This day was created by ice cream manufacturer Wall’s. They also smell money in the phenomenon, because on the happiest day of the year you really feel like having an ice cream, don’t you? The happiest day of the year falls around June 20 and also to calculate this day, Arnall has come up with a formula, namely O + (N x S) + Cpm divided by T + He. O is Outdoor (time spent outside), N is nature, S is social interaction, Cpm is the children’s holiday time and positive memories, T is the temperature and He is the proximity of the holiday. Cash register, cash register!