Well, the (supposedly) saddest day of the year has its place on the calendar: it is Blue Monday and in 2022 it falls on January 17.
That day is when most people around the world are saddest. Does it happen to you?
I hope not, but just in case I am going to leave you here some tricks so that this year you can get along much better.
Why Blue Monday is (supposed to be) the saddest day
Mondays are not the most cherished days at any time of the year , fairly or unfairly. That's because on Sunday night we already began to think, with a mixture of laziness and resignation, that the weekend is over.
The week begins again with all the routines that make us arrive on Friday with an infinite desire to disconnect.
No, Mondays are the big rejects on the calendar. And as if that were not enough, it has been decreed which is the darkest of all: Blue Monday, the (most) sad Monday.
And since it is one of the first to appear on the calendar, the other fifty or fifty-one remaining Mondays (depending on the year) can breathe easy, because after Blue Monday things can only get better.
And why is this so?
Now I get a little more serious: it has an explanation.
It is true that some people, as soon as the Christmas and New Year holidays are over, feel sadder or more demotivated.
And it is also true that at that time the numbers of diagnoses for depression increased. There is not a single reason, but a sum of factors:
- Returning to work is not a moment that we want to see, or it is not usual. For most people it is a major stress that you have to know how to fit.
- The holidays and that magical halo that accompanies them are over. At Christmas everything seems brighter, there are celebrations and reunions, you spend more than the average for the year... you experience, in some way, a parenthesis of unreality. And going back to "business as usual" is hard.
- The bank account can also be a reason. If you have not controlled your expenses, you are facing a few weeks in which you will have to take out the card as little as possible, to recover the balance.
The thing is, that post-party slump can be handled, so today I'm going to give you some tricks so you can try to make Blue Monday pass quickly and not leave a mark on your mood.
6 things you can do so that Blue Monday doesn't take its toll on you
Goodbye sadness! Here are a few tips to lift your spirits:
1. Temper yourself with good intentions
It is very good to start the year with a guide of everything we want to do, because the purposes and goals are important.
But beware. Sometimes the downturn comes because we have realized that a year has passed and (once again) we have not done everything we had proposed.
That's why I try to be realistic with what I can and cannot cover, so as not to put too much pressure on myself.
Another possibility is to make a list of purposes that you want to achieve yes or yes, and another with which, if you arrive, you would like to round off the year. Which is a way to have all your goals in front of you, but without weighing you down too much.
2. Meditate, breathe, say thank you
Maybe what you need is to reconnect with yourself, take control of your emotions again and review what are the strong points that will help you face the rest of the year.
Meditating is a good way to make that Blue Monday have a positive meaning. Breathing will help you rebalance yourself, and giving thanks for all the good things in your life will reconcile you a little with the world.
Or, at least, maybe you won't see everything so black.
3. Put an attractive plan on the calendar
It is important to have something written down that pulls us (and our spirits) forward.
Therefore, as soon as you can, plan a weekend with your friends in a capital that you have not visited yet, or a getaway with your partner to that nice little rural hotel that you saw on that trip.
Ok, it's winter and almost certainly the weather is bad. But you can always look for indoor plans .
4. Give yourself a day
As it is. To do what you want. What do you want to spend the day reading? Come on, nothing stops you.
Or go to the hairdresser and then get that massage that you want so much.
Or take a trip by car to any nearby place to clear your head and walk through places you don't know, or watch feel-good movies until you're loaded with good vibes, or... Your day is yours.
5. Exercise
If you exercise regularly, I have nothing to tell you that you don't know or have experienced more than once. If you don't, then yes, I'll tell you: physical exercise triggers the hormones of happiness.
And that is just what is needed when we are in a low mood: a dose of dopamine, another of serotonin, and another of endorphins. And also, I recommend you read this post about body positive, which will surely inspire you to get along better with your body.
Sport is one of the most natural and cheapest antidepressants (unless you go crazy buying equipment you don't need). Try a good walk in nature and then tell me.
6. Get pretty
When you look good, you feel better.
Spend some time creating special makeup, try that slightly more risky combination of clothes, renew your hair color...
And of course combine your look with some special jewelery that gives the final touch to your look. Have you seen the Nova necklace? It sure encourages you to feel like the star that you are.
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Does Blue Monday take its toll on you too? And what do you do to overcome it and leave it behind? If you share your tricks you give me ideas for next year ;)