The third Monday of January has been termed ‘Blue Monday’ because it is considered to be the most depressing day of the year. Christmas is over, the weather is rubbish, money is short and winter is still trailing out ahead of us. It’s prime time for viruses, bugs and colds and to top it all, we are back into the daily grind of a new year of work.
It’s a compelling set of reasons to feel a little dispirited, don’t you think?
If you add into the equation the possibility of being in a job that you either dislike or no longer find stimulating, the prospect of another year ahead can feel downright miserable.
Some have cast aspersions on the concept of Blue Monday. Samaritans, for example, have renamed it ‘Brew Monday’ and invited people to make a cup of tea and have a chat with someone, on the basis that we all have bad days and good days and that the calendar should not – and cannot – dictate our mood.
I agree with this to a degree but I do have compassion for those that find the start of January an uphill struggle and who are wishing they could hide under their duvet and come up smiling when the lighter, longer days have arrived.
My own relationship with wellbeing
The question of how to live, lead and work well is one that fascinates me and takes up a huge amount of my time and effort. In my own life, I have always refused to settle for anything that feels like too much of a compromise. I have worked hard to figure out what I need to feel alive and fulfilled and I am generally pretty good at doing what I need to do to make that a reality. But it is a never-ending quest. It has led me to make several major changes in my work and personal life, and I have no doubt that this will continue for as long as I live. That’s the sort of person I am.
And that’s at a macro level.
On a more micro-level, I have a big personality that has always been prone to fluctuations of mood which are sometimes hard to navigate. I know that it is what makes me who I am. It feeds my creativity. It enables me to do the work I do at the depth at which I like to do it. It helps me ‘hold’ a lot with individuals and teams. It means I am capable of experiencing the full range of possible emotions – the highs and the lows. My stretch is really the middle ground of the ordinary day-to-day. And it definitely means that short winter days that are grey and damp, when night draws in at 4.30pm, are hard for me too. Do I feel especially low on the third Monday of January? No, I don’t think so but I do know that January and February are my least favourite months.
Wellbeing is a passion of mine. I have been writing about wellbeing – in our organisational and personal lives – for over ten years. Most recently I wrote here about employee wellbeing and what enables people to be well at work. Late last year I wrote this piece about the pressures we impose on ourselves and the choices we make which do not always serve us. And in 2022 I wrote this post about the important of individual choice, as well as organisational responsibility in ensuring we are well. There are others but these are the most recent. In my life coaching work, I help people find greater happiness in life by making big changes at home and at work. And in my leadership work, I help leaders find greater fulfilment by enhancing their impact. Wellbeing is the golden thread.
I write about wellbeing because it really matters to me. It can be glorious to be human. It can also be bloody tough. The world of work can be wonderful, purposeful and fulfilling. It can also be toxic and demanding. And we have a responsibility to look after ourselves and each other, as best we can to facilitate our respective passages through life with as much grace as possible.
Six ways to boost your wellbeing
So back to January.
If you are feeling lacking in energy and inspiration, here are some things you could try:
- Write a list of ten things you want to say a big fat YES to in 2024 (and if it adds fuel to your fire add a list of ten things you will say a big fat NO to this year too)
- Take up some kind of creative practice. It doesn’t matter what it is. And it certainly doesn’t matter how ‘good’ you are at it. For example, you could sign up for the FREE poetry 5-Day Writing Challenge run by the wonderful Arvon Foundation which starts soon on 22nd January, You will receive 5 daily creative prompts from poet Inua Ellam to stimulate your ideas. Sign-up link is here.
- Record lovely moments, however small and transitory they may feel. Buy a stack of blank postcards to record them on. Keep them in a shoebox until the end of the year when you can read them back to yourself and have a big feel-good boost
- Move your body every day for at least half an hour. This could be a walk, a run, a dance, yoga, a half hour of stretching…anything will do. Better still take yourself outside to do it (dancing in the back garden? Why not?)
- Plan one wonderful thing for the year ahead so that you can look forward to it. Perhaps a weekend away, or a bigger trip, perhaps a get together with friends. Perhaps it’s signing up for a park run or a 10km. Perhaps it’s a spa day or climbing that mountain
- Find one way of volunteering in your local community. My volunteering over Christmas with Crisis was honestly the highlight of my holiday season and has given me an additional boost of inspiration as I start 2024.
I guarantee that any one of these will help combat the January blues.
A spring bonus
And finally, if you are looking for something to look forward to in the spring, you can also grab one of the remaining spots at my upcoming weekend retreat from 19-21 April. Based around forest bathing and an easy, fun painting practice, we will invite you into the bluebell woods and into the wonderful world of colour and painting to help you reconnect to your va va voom. More info here.
And if it’s something more fundamental that you need by way of a big change in life or work, and you think you are now ready to tackle it, drop me a message and we can hatch a plan.