Blue Monday is so called because it was coined in the mid-2000s as the “most depressing day of the year”. However, it has no scientific basis and is entirely a marketing concept, like so many other things these days. Ignore this concept as best you can and follow all or some of the following ideas to buck ourselves up.
Move your body (gently counts)
A short walk, stretching, or even tidying one room gets endorphins going. You don’t need a full workout; momentum matters more than intensity.
Get daylight early
Even a grey UK morning helps reset your body clock. Step outside for 10–15 minutes before lunch if you can.
Lower the bar for the day
Decide on one achievable task and call it a win. Blue Monday loses power when you stop demanding heroics from yourself.
Eat something warm and nourishing
Soup, porridge, stew, or a hot drink can genuinely improve mood through comfort and blood sugar stability.
Limit doom-scrolling (set a timer)
You don’t have to quit the news; just fence it in. Ten minutes, then out.
Message one person you like
Not a group chat, not social media; one real human. Even a “thinking of you” text helps counter isolation.
Do something absorbing, not productive
A puzzle, a game, reading, or watching something familiar. Absorption calms the mind better than “self-improvement”.
Tidy one small area
Just a desk corner or kitchen surface. Visible order can ease mental clutter surprisingly fast.
Plan one thing to look forward to
It can be tiny: a takeaway later in the week, a walk, a film night. Anticipation boosts mood.
Be kind to yourself about feeling low
If today feels flat, that’s not a personal failure. Winter is hard. Naming that reduces its weight.
Now we must celebrate each other, whoever we are, and cut out the division and the nastiness.
