Today is Blue Monday, the day often crowned as the “saddest day of the year.” It falls on the third Monday of January and has become a familiar, if somewhat dreaded, date in our calendars. Born in the early 2000s, the idea behind Blue Monday blends the post-holiday crash, dreary winter weather, and the pressure of New Year’s resolutions that have already started to slip, which we’ve all faced at some point.
While the science behind the concept is widely debated, the day has nonetheless become a symbol of the seasonal blues many of us experience this time of year. It serves as a wake-up call to pay more attention to our mental health and well-being when the days are shorter and the weather is colder.
However, as office experts, we are here to help you battle the blues and share some simple (yet effective) ways to beat the winter slump. By understanding what makes this day feel so heavy, we can take charge of our mood and start the year with a more hopeful mindset.
Reach Out to Colleagues, Family or Friends
Now hear us out on this one but the people you work with probably know you better than most of your family and friends. Think about it, your colleagues and team members sit with you daily, they also understand how to deal with certain situations at work because they have more than likely been in the same boat as you at some point. That doesn’t mean to say that your family or friends are not there to support you because they will also more than likely listen to what you have to say. We don’t realise that sometimes talking about a particular situation and how it is making us feel can be quite therapeutic because we finally start to feel like we are being heard. You never know even talking can help us to uncover the solution to our problem and we then have that amazing lightbulb moment which we all crave to some degree.
Practice Self-Care
Take a minute or so out of your day and write down what activities you like doing and make time in your day to do these as doing the things you enjoy can help you to feel better about yourself and reduce any of them negative emotions such as stress, anxiety, etc. It may sound cliché if you’ve been reading other articles similar to this one, but exercise is always beneficial not just for helping negative emotions disappear, but it also does wonders for the body such as weight loss, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes etc.
Set Realistic Goals
Have you ever walked into the office, sat down, not knowing what work to start on because other issues (don’t have to be work-related) are getting on top of you and slowly that feeling of being overwhelmed starts to add extra pressure?
Well, what we recommend you should try doing is writing down a simple and realistic goal which you think you will be able to achieve by the end of the day. It doesn’t even need to be complicated or super difficult or even related to work for that matter. One of our goals we set is to make at least three brews a day which is simple and easy to achieve. By the end of the day, once we have achieved our three coffees a day, we start to get that buzz that you get when you achieve something and start to feel unstoppable for the rest of the week (the buzz that we feel is definitely not the caffeine kicking into our blood 😉).
Enough of the joke there, but you get what we mean, if you set yourself some SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) to achieve, then by the end of the day when you’re ticking all your objectives off, you will start to feel like you’ve had a productive day and have accomplished something.
Acknowledge Emotions
What do we mean by acknowledging emotions? Well, it’s quite simple, we mean understanding that every emotion we feel within our body is completely normal. Just like the classic saying, ‘It’s okay to feel sad’ as it’s what makes us normal human beings. Whether it’s sadness, frustration, joy, or anxiety, permit yourself to feel without judgment. Try naming the emotion “I feel sad,” or “I feel overwhelmed”, which can help create a sense of clarity. This practice of mindfulness can reduce emotional intensity and allow you to respond more thoughtfully rather than reacting impulsively. It’s also important to remember that emotions are natural and temporary, and by acknowledging them, you’re giving yourself the space to process and eventually move forward.
Limit Stressors
Stressors are events, situations, or pressures that trigger stress in individuals. They can be both external, like work deadlines, financial problems, or relationship conflicts, and internal, such as self-doubt, unrealistic expectations (hence why realistic goals are better), or negative thought patterns.
Stressors vary from person to person e.g. what one individual finds stressful, another may not. These can range from public speaking engagement to chronic stressors, like long-term health issues or a difficult living situation. Identifying stressors is an important step in managing stress, as it helps individuals understand what specifically is affecting their mental and physical well-being. That may sound a lot but by limiting stressors, we can feel more comfortable and relaxed so that our tasks are completed effectively.
By managing our stressors, we start to become a lot quicker at detecting when we are starting to feel stress. Once we start to notice our stress levels are increasing can we then start to practice self-compassion. Grab a pen and a notepad and then write down what you feel is causing you stress, why it makes you feel stressed, and then what you think the solution is, simply rip that page out and throw it in the bin. Just watch how you start to feel once you’ve thrown away the negative thoughts written down on that piece of paper, it’s almost like magic. This is only one of many practices, but we feel like this is a good method for removing negative thought patterns. You may also want to try going for a walk, meditation or like we’ve said previously, talking to someone like another colleague, family member or friend.
Monday Is Considered The ‘Saddest Day Of The Year’
Blue Monday, often considered the “saddest day of the year,” can highlight the seasonal slump many experience in January. To combat the Monday blues in the office, it’s important to focus on small but effective strategies for boosting your mood and productivity. Reach out to colleagues, friends, or family to share your feelings and gain perspective. Practice self-care by making time for activities you enjoy, including exercise, to improve your mental and physical well-being. Setting realistic goals can help reduce feelings of overwhelm and give you a sense of accomplishment. Acknowledge your emotions without judgment, allowing yourself the space to process them. Finally, identify and limit stressors in your life, managing them with self-compassion and practical exercises like journaling or mindfulness. By applying these tips, you can combat the blues and create a more positive mindset for the rest of the year.
If you want more information, you can read some of the articles written by charities that love to challenge Blue Monday, like the Samaritans, who have renamed it ‘Brew Monday’. Alternatively, MS Trust has a ‘Be Bold in Blue’ campaign, which is to help raise money for people with MS on Blue Monday by getting everyone to wear blue.
