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Yorkshire Times
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Jan Harris
Deputy Group Editor
9:00 PM 14th January 2018
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Blue Monday 2018

 
Blue Monday - photo by Lovro67
Blue Monday - photo by Lovro67
Why is it called Blue Monday?

Blue Monday is the third Monday in January and seems to have been given the title because of the post-Christmas blues.

In 2018 the date of Blue Monday is 15 January.

Blue Monday is also so called because it is claimed to be the most depressing day of the year. All the Christmas and New Year festivities are over and in the distant past, the decorations are taken down and boxed up for another year and most people are back at work.

January also seems a long month until the much needed pay day which seems an eternity away. The days are long and cold, the nights are dark and the credit card bills are arriving.

The first Blue Monday was in 2005 and was said to be a PR stunt by Dr Arnall's holiday company, calculating the date by using an equation. Dr Arnall has now admitted how it ‘was never his intention’ for the day to become so gloomy. But despite this Blue Monday seems to have remained a firm fixture in the calendar.

photo by Mark Leary
photo by Mark Leary
So let's beat Blue Monday!

Even though it may be cold try to go outside and get some sun. Wrap up warm and take a walk outside, especially on a sunny day as there are always a few sunny days in January.

Exercise is something that most of us decide to do more of in January. You don't have to run a marathon or take up an extreme sport, just take the dog for a walk or go for a ten minute brisk walk around the block.

Simple changes like getting off the bus a stop earlier or taking the stairs can help you tone up and feel great.

It's a recognised fact that more people join a gym during the month of January. Unfortunately the good intentions of January don't seem to carry on through the rest of the year.

Or perhaps you're going to book a holiday. Apparently around 690,000 people in Yorkshire have already booked holidays in order to try and beat the January Blues!

Think positive!

So most of us are back at work and moaning as that's what human beings are very good at, but let's think positive and make January a time of fresh starts.

How about making a gratitude list - just list three things to be thankful for or do just one act of kindness each day, then we'll be a person who on a daily basis sees the glass half-full instead of half-empty.

Research has shown that doing small things for other people impacts on people's happiness and causes positive effects.

Let us all be a 'glass half-full' type of person and go out with optimism knowing that the nights are gradually getting lighter and spring is round the corner!

So why not turn tomorrow into one of the cheeriest days of the year!

Think positive! - photo by uckhet
Think positive! - photo by uckhet