There is no such thing as Blue Monday

Simple graphic for a blog post titled 'THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BLUE MONDAY' in bold blue uppercase letters on a light gray background, framed with a blue border. The words 'BLOG POST' are written in bright pink at the top, with a thin blue dividing line below. To the left is a hand holding two circles - one is blue with a smiling face, the other is orange and slightly behind with a sad face.

January 17, 2022 Emma Shergold Recent Posts All Posts Life Coaching Mental Health Neurodivergence Office Management Run Coaching Sports Massage Virtual Assistance My response to: “So, what do you do?” How to set your own goals What makes me a good life coach 5 reasons to use a password manager There is no such thing as Blue Monday Receiving a middle-aged autism diagnosis How to set successful New Year resolutions 6 tips on staying hydrated Categories Life CoachingMental HealthNeurodivergenceOffice ManagementRun CoachingSports MassageVirtual Assistance Business Support Office Management CRM/Database Management Email Inbox Management Bookkeeping Event Support Website Management Email Automations Project Coordination Access Support Life Coaching General Life Coaching Transitional Life Coaching Exercise & Fitness Coaching Diet & Nutrition Coaching Run Coaching Business Coaching EV Sports Sports Massage Beginner Running Course Return to Running Course Fundamentals of Running Course Run Coaching Qualifications & CPD Business Management Diploma Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Financial Crime Mentoring & Coaching Skills Psychology of Behaviour Change Life Coaching & Mindfulness Diploma Advanced Personal Training Diploma England Athletics Running Coach Gym Instruction Nutrition & Weight Management Nutrition for Sport & Exercise Circuit Training Pilates Fundamentals Pre and Post Natal Nutrition Pre and Post Natal Massage Sports & Remedial Massage Diploma THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BLUE MONDAY Blue Monday has been branded about for the last decade as the most depressing day on the year. As someone who has battled depression throughout their life, I think it would be wonderful if I could choose on which day I wanted to be depressed. But it doesn’t work like that. It never has and never will. Blue Monday was developed as a PR strategy in 2004 to sell holidays at a time when a lot of people were feeling low after Christmas and wanted something to look forward to. If only a holiday was all it took to beat depression. As someone who doesn’t like December, I am personally quite high spirited in January – all the Christmas fuss has gone and I can return to ‘my normal’ without overwhelm or expectation upon me. HOW ARE YOU FEELING? I mean, really feeling? Regardless of what day it is, it is always a good time to reflect on how you are feeling. There is a lot of encouragement to reach out if you are having a tough time. And I agree with this, if you have the self awareness, foresight and energy to do so. But, sometimes, even reaching out to someone is too much to cope with. It involves energy that isn’t available, requires words that can’t be retrieved and results in another conversation to maintain. However, spending time with your thoughts and feelings is something you can do without having to communicate with anyone else. Taking even 10 minutes to sit quietly, focusing on your breathing and allowing any thoughts to pass through your mind, is a really simple yet powerful way of recognising how you are feeling in that moment. It may also provide you with some insight on what your mind and/or body needs to do next. Do you need to carry on sitting peacefully, go for a short walk, or maybe it has helped you remember something you meant to do earlier in the day. Sometimes, giving ourselves this time also helps us work out how to proceed with something that has been worrying or concerning us for a while. HOW TO REACH OUT WITHOUT MAKING CONVERSATION If these moments of reflection are still leaving you feel unsettled, then you may need to find some answers from outside of your own mind. At times when I have needed support but unable to reach out to anyone directly, I have found following relevant hashtags on social media invaluable (Instagram works best for me) because I can then surround myself with like-minded people without having to say a word. I can feel like I’m not alone whilst being left alone and, more often than not, they really do know how I feel and what I’m going through more than anyone who personally knows me. I am not saying that people who personally know me don’t care or won’t be there for me if I need them, because they will. They have been. And I will always value and treasure that. But even talking or explaining things to those closest to me can be too much, which is when social media really can be a positive and useful tool. So, whilst social media can have a negative effect on our mental health, it can also quite literally be a life saver to so many people who need to not feel alone while being left alone. WHEN TO SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP Mental health challenges can often creep up unnoticed, and recognising the warning signs is the first step to taking care of yourself or supporting someone else. Below are some common signs of depression and anxiety, how they might appear in daily life, when to be concerned, and some practical tips to help address them. This is such a personal topic and everyone’s point of asking for help will be different, depending on the support you have around you, the awareness you have of how you’re feeling, and experience you have of managing your own mental health. However, these are some of the signs that tell me things are not as they should be: DOOM SCROLLING WITH NO POSITIVE EFFECT Most people with a social media account will find themselves ‘doom scrolling’ at some point. Mindlessly scrolling through posts or videos can be a way for some people to switch off, but that needs to be managed. There are different apps and phone settings that help control and limit the amount of time spent on our phones and in particular apps that can become unhelpful and time wasting. Tips to help: Set app usage limits using apps or phone settings Create phone routines to restrict use of certain apps at certain times of the day Give yourself