How does Blue Monday or saddest day affect?

It's not a secret: Mondays (usually) don't like them. They lead the week by reminding us of everything we have to do and how much is left for the weekend. But are all Mondays the same "torturous"? Will it be January 21, the worst of all of 2019? Why is it called Blue monday?

What is Blue Monday?

Is named "Blue Monday" (Sad Monday, in Spanish) to the third Monday of January and is considered "the most depressing day of the year." Not only is it Monday, but also other factors are added such as the cold, the January slope, the emotional effect that Christmas has left us (family problems, absences ...), the new year's resolutions still unfulfilled (going to the gym , study English, eat healthy ...) and the remoteness of the next holidays or bridges (probably at Easter). All this can generate symptoms such as sadness, tiredness, insomnia, concentration difficulties, apathy, etc.

The formula

The term "Blue Monday" was proposed in 2005 by Cliff Arnall, an English psychologist, and is based on the following mathematical formula: ([W + (D-d)] xTQ / MxNA)

• W is the weather.
• D is our level of indebtedness.
• d is the salary.
• T the time that has passed since Christmas.
• Q how long we've been failing in our New Year's resolutions.
• M is motivation.
• NA is the need to undertake new tasks.

Although the parameters it uses seem to make sense, it is true that they are impossible to quantify and operationalize. Although, according to Arnall, his intention was always to motivate people and inspire them in personal self-realization, behind this equation was a well-known travel agency, which used the concept to promote this time as the best time to travel. It was all a success.

Is there really the saddest day of the year?

Although more and more visibility is given to this day in our country, it is not without criticism. It is true that in January, as professionals, we noticed an increase in the number of consultations, but specifying it in a single day would be poorly founded.

The Blue monday It has been associated with manipulation and marketing strategies, however, it is undeniable that, in January, the depresogenic factors mentioned exist. Nobody likes debt, or stop talking to a close family member, or feel guilty for not meeting one's goals. However, these factors do not have to cause depression.

It is interesting to take into account the danger of internalizing the effects of the institutionalization of the "most depressing day of the year", since the so-called self-fulfilling prophecy effect could be produced, turning belief into sadness real. The person may suggest that it is going to be a bad day, and actually end up having it.

What to do to combat it?

Beyond the controversy that Blue Monday may generate, January is, as we have commented, a difficult month in general, so it may be interesting to draw some lines to promote psychological self-care. Sadness is not "bad", it is a normal basic emotion as necessary as joy or anger. It has a function. It indicates what is not going well or we do not like in our life. Learning to listen to what he wants to tell us can generate changes that make us live better. The mood is not something linear, but there may be certain fluctuations that have to do with what surrounds us. We may feel more anguish, sadness or demotivation, but this does not mean that there is a depression.

Sadness is transitory. If you really notice the Blue Monday effect, think that tomorrow will be Tuesday. If it is not a Blue Monday, but you already have several "Blue Months" or even a "Blue Year", do not get used to feeling that way.

Cristina Agud

Specialist in Clinical Psychology

• Specify. Ask yourself what specifically ails you, do not stay with general answers since it is in the concrete where we can look for solutions. It is different to say “work overwhelms me” than “it bothers me that my colleague next door does not stop talking”. Then look for alternatives to the problems you have specified.
• Create realistic life goals and time them. Find meaning in your life.
• Increase your activity level. Depression thrives on personal neglect.
• Reward yourself. It is important to promote small self-gratifications after a hard day. No need to waste money, the best things in life are free. Do not wait for the weekend to rest or enjoy, since finding a space in your day to day, no matter how small, is going to be a promoter of mental health.
• Covers basic physical needs: sleep, eat well, take a shower, sunbathe (vitamin D), etc. It seems obvious, but sometimes we neglect them.
• You will think better.
• Be careful with social networks, do not compare yourself to the supposed idyllic lives of others. Not all that glitters is gold. Practice the JOMO
  • It is true that in January, mental health professionals noticed an increase in the number of consultations, but to specify the saddest day of the year in a single day would be poorly founded.
  • January can be a difficult month in general (cold, some post-Christmas debt, goals that we have not just fulfilled ...), so it may be interesting to draw some lines to promote psychological self-care.
  • Sharing how we feel, specifying what affects / saddens us, trying to set realistic goals, rewarding ourselves on a day-to-day basis, taking care of ourselves ... these are things we can do so as not to get carried away by blue Mondays ...