Turning Blue Mondays on its head!

Are we really predisposed to be sad this time of year? If so, what can be done about it?

In 2005, psychologist Cliff Arnall produced a formula that apparently showed that the most depressing day of the year was the third Monday of January. Since then it’s been wheeled out by news channels across the country when there’s been nothing else to talk about on a cold January day. But is there any truth to it?

It turns out the whole thing was a myth. The whole thing was paid for by a travel company, evidently thinking that if they make January more miserable than it already is, people will open their wallets and buy a ticket to Bermuda.

Of course, people bought into this because for many; January is pretty miserable. After all the fun of the big Christmas break, work can become a bit of a bind. Let’s face it, two weeks of booze, food and the Dr Who Christmas special, sitting in an office every day might not be very thrilling.

But I love my job!

So why the third week in January?

Well, think about it. Over Christmas, you’ll push work to the back of your mind. The steady flow of Bailey’s and mince pies will work like a dam, stopping any thought of spreadsheets and end of month reports from getting to your fun centres. You’re just constantly partying.

As well as partying, you’re mingling with people who probably have better jobs than you. They’re apparently having more fun, enjoying life and driving fast cars while you’ve been toiling away. They’ll tell you that the secret is to have the right attitude and practice positive thinking.

So you go back to work brimming with enthusiasm for the year ahead. As soon as you’ve cleared out the back room to make way for a new laptop, you’re going to start that new business and stick it to the man!!!

However, after three weeks you realise that your life is and always will be an endless trudge. Nothing has changed; you’re useless. Damn, why do you even bother trying to be someone you’re not…

You can see why an invented “formula” can be so pervasive; people feel rubbish and now there’s a label.

How utterly depressing.

But it doesn’t have to be that way!

It doesn’t take a formula to convince us that the cold, miserable and dark days of January and February can wear people down. However as one famous guy said (not so famous that I’d remember his name, granted):

“You can’t change the wind, but you can alter the sails.”

Regardless of what’s happening in your life, it’s up to you to make the best of it. And it doesn’t have to be difficult.

In fact, the website Happify has turned the pursuit of happiness into a business by taking a science-based approach to cheering people up. Through a series of regular tasks and exercises, they aim to train your brain into being happy.

For a start off, they suggest that people should do simple things first, such as:

1. Savour the food you eat. Instead of just wolfing down your dinner, enjoy each mouthful and take in the pleasures of the flavours.

2) Keep a journal of good things that happen. Sometimes the bad stuff that gets to us during the day can crowd out the good stuff. If your morning was incredible and you got loads done, it will be erased by one bad meeting in the afternoon. Keeping a note of the good stuff that happened means you can remind yourself of it later.

3) Acknowledge people I walk to work every day and as I pass people, I say “morning” to them. It makes me feel great and so far, everyone has smiled and acknowledged me back. Now, this could be because they think I’m a loony who will stab them if they don’t say something, but I like to think that maybe I’ve cheered them up a bit. Saying “thank you”, “hello” and “how are you?” is easy and it can help someone feel great.

Of course, this only works if it’s repeated day-in, day-out. Being happy isn’t a pill or a quick fix, it’s a constant set of actions that eventually become a habit.

Think of it like changing gear in a car. When you started off driving you had to think about each change, but after a few years it becomes second nature. Happiness is the same.

You know those people who are consistently happy? The ones who are always smiling even when times are tough? It’s because it’s a habit.

Or, of course, they could be loonies…

This article originally appeared in: http://www.theofficesuppliessupermarket.com/articles/turning-blue-mondays-on-its-head