Friendly PSA: Blue Monday isn’t real
We don’t need another self-care sales pitch — we need real, actionable help with our mental health
As I log into my inbox on one screen, my social media feed is already open on my phone. It’s a little past 5am as I stumble around, trying to get my one year old back to sleep, when it hits me. It’s that time of year again. Between National Divorce Day, adverts pushing ‘new year, new you!’ diets and gym memberships, and the frequent seasonal reminders that veganism is really better for you and the planet, January feels like a bit of a slog. And then we hit ‘Blue Monday.’
What is Blue Monday?
It’s supposed to be the most depressing day of the year. It’s always the third Monday of January, and honestly? It’s a load of rubbish. There’s nothing scientific about claiming this particular Monday is the ‘most depressing day of the year’. Supposedly coined by psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2004, he came up with the idea of ‘Blue Monday’ when a holiday company asked for a “scientific formula” for the January blues.
While some companies may have started off with good intentions, hoping to raise awareness and encourage others to reach out if they think a friend or loved one may be struggling with their mental health, it has since become a shameless marketing opportunity for many companies.
For January 2022 alone, I’ve seen:
- How to declutter your home on Blue Monday (by selling your things through a specific app).
- How various historic figures would have dealt with Blue Monday (and why you should go and see someone dressed up as them for only £30pp).
- Half price magazine subscriptions (to help boost your overall wellbeing).
- ‘Blue Monday flash sales’ on makeup, health and beauty.
- And the ever-helpful ‘Best Blue Monday Deals!’ because spending £150 on a watch, £240 on a gym membership, £90 on hair straighteners, and £320 on a new mattress is 100% the right way towards better mental health. Who said money couldn’t buy happiness? /s
Thanks to the last couple of years we’ve all had, it’s no wonder so many of us are experiencing compassion fatigue, mean world syndrome is getting to us, or we’re just so close to burnout we’re in survival mode at this point. But are we really at the point where we’re going to quietly sit back while retailers try to tell us that a mediocre deal on mascara is the way to ‘cure the winter blues’?
Blue Monday does more harm than good
When we label a single, trivial day of the year as ‘the most depressing’, what we’re actually doing is trivialising serious mental health issues and struggles faced by many. Nearly one in five of us aged 16 and over in the UK have shown symptoms of anxiety or depression according to the Mental Health Foundation. It’s the most predominant mental health problem in the world. Yet 40% of men in the UK won’t talk about their own mental health.
Research published in 2019 revealed that despite 82% of British adults believing that a meaningful conversation about our worries and concerns benefits our mental health and wellbeing, one in five of us will actually spend less than 10 minutes each day having a meaningful conversation.
One in four of us will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year. One in five of us will have suicidal thoughts. And according to mental health charity Mind? Just one in eight of us will receive treatment. More than one million of us are waiting for mental health support. Let’s not trivialise that.
Mental health matters
If you’re looking for ways you can actually look after your mental health, boost your wellbeing, and support loved ones who may be struggling, there are plenty of free resources out there to help you get started.
Learn how to talk to your children about mental health through activities and storytelling. Find out more about how to start the conversation about mental health with your family, or try these tips on how to talk about mental health at work — and how to take time off to put your mental health first.
Remember: None of us need half price mental health magazines, self care kit special offers, or tips on how to declutter our homes to ‘banish the blues’. What we really need are sustainable plans on how to look after our mental health before a crisis hits.
Evie is a writer, editor, and geek. In her spare time, she enjoys writing about mental health and wellbeing, motherhood, manga, and all things travel-related.
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