How Blue Are You?
Posted by Danielle Bean in Health on Monday, January 25, 2010 3:00 PM
Some experts in the UK have done their homework and come to the conclusion that last Monday, January 18 was the “worst day of the year” for 2010.
“The name ‘Blue Monday’ came about after British psychologist Cliff Arnall devised a formula five years ago for just why people feel so dispirited every year on this day. He came up with a complicated equation that contains seven variables such as weather, debt, monthly salary, time since Christmas, and low motivational levels, reports The Guardian.”
Other sites set the date for this year’s Blue Monday for today, January 25. Either way, it looks like, scientifically speaking, we are in the throes of the most depressing time of year.
So ... how blue are you? Has dreary weather gotten to you? Have you gotten piles of Christmas bills in the mail? Have you already broken your New Year resolutions?
One British group, Blue Monday, is encouraging people to do something positive instead of wallowing in dreariness this time of year:
“Mondays can be miserable. Especially January Mondays. So we’re using the 25 January as a special day for cheering each other up.
Whether it’s a cheerful hello to a neighbour you’ve never met, or baking a cake for your work mates; organising a sing-song in a shopping centre, or registering as a blood donor; buying flowers for a loved one, joining a charity campaign, or visiting someone lonely. Blue Monday is about your ideas. It’s about kindness, and making a difference.”
I like their positive, generous approach. Years ago, when I worked in a nursing home, it used to make me sad to see the residents inundated with visitors and well-wishers throughout the holiday season and then sadly forgotten during the long months of winter that followed.
I’m sure nursing home residents aren’t the only ones who suffer from a lack of attention after the Christmas season. Who do you know that could use a visit, phone call, or other pleasant surprise today?
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