I think everyone has heard about Blue Monday, statistically the most depressing day of the year. Some people book the day off work, lay in bed all day, binging Netflix and eating ice-cream, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We have some tips that can help you stop Blue Monday getting the better of you.
What is Blue Monday?
Blue Monday was a term coined to describe what is, on average, the most depressing day of the year in the UK. It usually takes place on the third Monday of every January, when the excitement of Christmas is over and people are beginning to regret eating all that chocolate and drinking all that booze on Christmas day and New Year’s Eve. Credit card bills and bank statements for empty accounts are coming through the post after buying all those Christmas presents. By Blue Monday, most people have already broken their New Year resolutions and are quickly losing motivation.
Last year, we mentioned some tips that could help you beat the winter blues. Below I take a fresh look at what you can apply to your life to help stop Blue Monday from making you lose the will to live.
Exercise
It may sound like the last thing you want to do right now, but it’s a well-known fact that exercise releases endorphins, which naturally make you feel happier, and can help stop Blue Monday ruining your day. Its’ recommended to get at least 30 minutes of exercise in a day and even just 30 minutes of exercise can make you feel better equipped to handle the day. You don’t have to run a marathon, there’s a lot of things you can do to get those 30 minutes of activity in through the day, be it an extra walk with the dog or even a quick workout routine in front of the TV at home.
30 Minutes of activity might sound a lot, especially if have a busy schedule, but it’s important to make exercise a part of your lifestyle. If you don’t have enough time for a full half hour of activity, breaking it up into three ten-minute sessions through the day would perhaps be easier.
Reducing sitting time is also an important factor, which brings us to our next tip…
Stand Up at Work
Research has shown that sitting for prolonged amount of time can have a negative effect on the body, even if you are healthy and regularly active. Sitting for long periods of time can lead to bad posture,
Though we might not realise, we spend a majority of the day sitting down. Research has shown that sitting for prolonged periods of time can have a negative effect on the body. It can lead to an increased risk in diabetes and cardiovascular events, among other things. With this research getting harder to ignore, more and more people are beginning to see the benefits of standing up in the work place and are incorporating standing desks into their work environments.
It is recommended to stand for two hours at work, gradually building your way up to four hours. Not only can this sound daunting for a newbie, but it also sounds uncomfortable. Even though we are being advised to stand more and sit less, it’s important that standing for long periods of time is done safely and correctly. We recommend use of anti-fatigue mat, such as the Orthomat® Office to make standing a safer and more pleasant experience.
Take Up a Hobby
If one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to take up a hobby, it’s never too late to start, even if you have broken all of your other resolutions, there’s still time to stop Blue Monday.
Hobbies are a great outlet for stress and provide a welcome relief from day-to-day life. They can also be a great motivator as they provide challenges without the negative stress. Hobbies can also unite you with other people of similar interests and some hobbies can provide you with skills that you can incorporate into other parts of your life.
Struggling to pick something? Just write a list of all the things you like or have an interest in and use those ideas of a spring board. If you’re all out of ideas, you could try out new things until you find something that takes your fancy.
Save Money and Money Will Save You
Money problems tends to be the number one factor of stress, but if you plan out your finances accordingly for the year, you will be able to take this weight off of your shoulders.
A great way to keep on top of your spending this year is to determine what your big financial priority is going to be for the year. This could be anything from a holiday to buying a house. Establishing what is going to be your biggest spend for the year and beginning to save for it right away is going to save you a lot of hassle and stress in the long run than if you wait it out and let it sneak up on you.
Planning out your budget for each week can also keep you from splurging on unnecessary things. Putting some time aside each week to write down what you’re planning to spend on what, and how much you have already spent, is a good way of keeping yourself in check to make sure that you don’t go overboard.
Write Down or Draw Your Goals for the Year
Writing down your goals is a great motivator to get yourself to actually stick to them. Some people even go as far as pinning them above their desk or somewhere where they can see them every day to remind them to keep going.
If you have a big goal in mind for the year, it can seem a bit daunting, making you wonder how you’re going to even achieve it, which means that you’ve gotten off on the wrong foot before you’ve even started. But, if you break this big goal up into smaller and achievable goals, then this will spur you on to keep going. Setting deadlines alongside your goal will also motivate you to get going and achieve what you’re setting out to do.
There’s no need to let Blue Monday keep you down this year. Every day is a fresh start, so don’t give up when the year has only just started. Incorporating these tips into your lifestyle means it will probably pass you by anyway!
