The most depressing day of the year has arrived and dear readers I’m sad to report that its today.

For those who don’t know, a methodology supposedly developed by Dr Cliff Arnall back in 2004, deemed the third Monday in January as the day on the year we are most likely to feel down in the dumps.

In 2024 that makes the 15^th January ‘Blue Monday.’

Dr Arnall considered several factors to arrive at this conclusion. His hypothesis included the average temperatures at this time of year, the number of days since most of us had a payday, the time we must wait until the next bank holiday, the average hours of daylight and the number of nights in the month.

By crunching these numbers, you seemingly have formula that supports why so many people find January, and this particular Monday, such a slog. But one crucial data point is missing.

It’s a data point that probably has a greater bearing on why Dr Arnall drew these conclusions in the first place. That is – why was Dr Arnall was trying to calculate the most depressing day of the year in the first place?

Alas, dear reader, Dr Arnall was not engaged in this (questionable) calculation to help humanity better understand issues around mental health or to offer any other psychological, sociological or scientific purposes.

He was supporting a PR campaign by travel company Sky Travel to try and get us to consider booking a holiday to cheer ourselves up.

I know, shocking.

Actually, it isn’t shocking at all. As a veteran comms professional, I have not only used ‘awareness days’ to draw attention to issues that my client may have a solution or product for, but I have also looked on in grudging admiration when others have developed similar stories to make a point.

Blue Monday: PR spin or meaningful reminder? MRM’s Chris Tuite chats to Mouthy Money editor Edmund Greaves to dig into the truth behind the marketing – listen to the podcast now

A taxi firm that took test tube samples of all the nasty germs that exist on London Underground trains and tried to get us to forego tube travel as a result is one such example of a creative approach I begrudgingly admired.

There is no doubt that peddling pseudo-scientific calculations as fact could be dangerous. Discussing issues such as people’s mental health or creating unnecessary germ related scares on transport networks are not to be taken lightly if they are taken completely seriously.

However, I think that the public deserve more credit, as do the journalists that are the gatekeepers to these stories in the medias. We know that in all likelihood travelling on the tube isn’t going to give us E. Coli and most consumers are savvy enough to know a holiday firm sponsoring research about our health and well-being should be taken with a heavy pinch of salt despite their being grains of truth in what they say.

That said though, it’s interesting that Blue Monday in particular has stood the test of time. Whilst scientifically unsound, I think Cliff Arnall may have been on to something.

For many people this point in January can feel tough and if nothing else the Blue Monday phenomena has sparked numerous conversations and elicited impassioned responses in a debate that has lasted even longer than the company the concept was created to promote.

In short it speaks to a mood that you do hear around the water coolers or on your Zoom calls at this time of year. It’s not a ridiculous premise, far from it.

It should be remembered that other organisations have used that premise for more laudable reasons too. It has helped the likes of The Samaritans to start better informed conversations about serious issues like mental health.

Even in the process of debunking Blue Monday they have referenced it to get important information out into the world with campaigns such as #BrewMonday.

Mouthy Money readers are no fools. You will know the tactics used by companies to get your attention and its worth repeating your attention is very valuable.

Provided firms broadly stick to their knitting, don’t mis-sell and don’t start making bold pronouncements on issues they aren’t qualified to talk about then I think finding ways to engage in self-referential conversations with savvy consumers is harmless enough.

They aren’t telling you how to feel, they are finding ways to start a conversation with you. Feel free to ignore them or book yourself a holiday if you want one!

Photo Credits: Pexels

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New Mouthy Money blogger and financial well-being coach Laura Moore looks at how to solve the puzzle of personal financial well-being.

When you think about money, what comes to mind? 

Spreadsheets, numbers, calculations… Commonly, people go straight to thinking about the practical side of money. 

We try to solve money problems with practical solutions such as creating a budget to stop overspending or opening a pension to prepare for the future. 

All important pieces of the financial well-being puzzle, but there is one big piece of the puzzle we are missing out when we do this… 

Money is emotional. 

It makes us feel things – stress, excitement, worry, freedom, anxiety. And these feelings are what drives our behaviour. 

If you find yourself awake at night worrying about money, impulsively over-spending, or scared to think about your financial future, a good place to start before implementing a practical solution is looking at how money makes you feel.

What emotions come up for you when you think about receiving money, or saving money, or spending money? These feelings are all little clues you can use to improve your financial situation.

When we can change how we feel about money, we change the way we manage it. 

So, where to start with improving how you feel about money?

Self-awareness is key and being honest with yourself. 

Acknowledging the language you use about money, the phrases you are saying to yourself and your friends, and the emotions you feel will help you make positive changes to your relationship with money. 

If you find yourself always saying “I am so poor, I will never be good with money”, then the chances are, this will be true for your life. Our words become our actions, and our actions become our life, and limiting language will keep you stuck in a negative cycle with money.

Our brains are very clever and when we make statements like the one above, our brain will look around in our environment and life to find real examples of what we are saying to reinforce what we think to be true. 

Changing your language to reflect how you would like to feel and behave with money can be extremely powerful – create affirmations about money that help you improve your relationship with money. 

For example, instead of saying “I am so poor, I will never be good with money”, try swapping it out to be more positive e.g. “I am learning to manage my money and allow myself the grace to make mistakes” 

This simple language shift will cause your brain to look for examples of times where you are managing your money well to reinforce this new way of thinking and feeling about money. 

It sounds like a small shift, but it will have a mighty impact. 

I’m not saying you are going to wake up and by thinking positively about money, you will suddenly have streams of new income and your debt will disappear (as lovely as that would be!). 

But it is the first step in improving your relationship with money and when we feel good about money, we will start to manage money in a way that aligns with the dream life we are trying to create. 

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-holding-gray-ceramic-mug-846080/

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This year’s Mental Health Awareness week theme is kindness and it got me thinking about how we can be kind to each other and ourselves during this time of crisis.

Working from home has been a very strange time for everyone, some people have adapted very well and others are finding it harder, which is fine. 

I asked my colleagues to give me one tip or trick they have implemented in lockdown to make sure they are being kind to themselves or others with the hope that it will help others during this hard time. 

Megan Lloyd, PR consultant, East Sussex – iPhone screen downtime is a gamechanger

Downtime seems to have become a thing of the past during the Covid-19 crisis, people assume that because we can’t go anywhere, we are available at all times of the day (and night).

Something that I have learned recently is screen downtime on iPhone. I don’t want to be dramatic, but it has changed my life. I have my work phone on downtime mode from 7pm-9pm most nights (there are some exceptions).

This restricts the apps I can use and gives me time to actually switch off from work, and it has helped me get that much needed downtime. This is a kindness I need to be able to continue to be productive at work and stay healthy.

Mike Richards, director of Capital City Media, Epsom – using commuting time elsewhere

I have gained almost three hours of commuting time.  In the morning, instead of my morning commute, I walk (too old to run) for an hour and a half wishing I knew more about nature other than pigeons, sparrows and dodos being the only birds I can identify.  

Instead of the evening commute I am reading. I  have just finished “Where is Spot?” – a disappointing ending – Agatha Christie perhaps could have used the washing basket as a vehicle to hide bodies.

I have also been able to use my spare time to listen to more free podcasts – especially vintage sitcoms and history documentaries on the BBC and sports programmes on my Süddeutsche Zeitung App.

Edmund Greaves, Mouthy Money co-editor, Balham – transcribing poetry

Like many others I have found the experience of lockdown and homeworking to have put me in a position where it feels difficult to switch off. I live in a one-bed flat in south London so there’s about two metres distance between my office (the dining table) and my leisure space (the sofa). It makes it hard to define the boundaries.

While I do partake in the usual methods of switching off – listening to music, playing a video game, watching TV, or even a jigsaw with the girlfriend (wild I know!) these activities can become a bit tiresome if you do them over and over again for months on end.

So I’ve taken up a new hobby: writing down my favourite poetry. I started by buying a cheap fountain pen, the kind that leaves ink blotches all over my hand (I’m left-handed), and digging out an old notebook that I had lying around that belonged to my mum.

First I wrote down poems I knew, but those ran out after a while and now I’m scouring through books and the internet for new ones. It has been an enormously educating and cathartic experience to shut the modern world out and just scribble away.

Helena Jones, PR consultant, Berkshire – fitness goals

Like many of those working remotely, I’ve struggled with the ‘mental cut-off’ at the end of each day. What started off as the odd glass of wine to wind down soon turned into a nightly habit, and I knew this would become an unhealthy – and expensive! – one to keep.

So, I decided to cut out the booze and force myself onto post-work runs to blow off steam instead. I’ve now set myself the challenge of getting into the best shape I can by the time we return to the office, which has meant saving money for better times too.

Having that small element of control over what’s happening has worked wonders for my mental wellbeing.

• Read more about other savvy money-saving lockdown workout routines

Paul Beadle, Mouthy Money publishing director, Chipping Norton – phoning my kids

Strange as it may seem, as a result of lockdown I am speaking to my children more often. They’ve both been furloughed in London, so money has been a bit of a worry. I used to visit them regularly but now I’ve gone old skool – phoning them on a weekly basis.

We just shoot the breeze for half an hour, talking about their life, my life, coronavirus and what’s on Netflix. It has been a revelatory and calming experience. It takes me back to when my mum was alive and I’d call her every Sunday morning.

Silly as it sounds, chatting is much more rewarding than texting. We even had four-way Facebook Messenger video call the other week for my son’s 21st birthday.

When we get back to normal I shall continue with the phone calls, not just because it saves me money – and my waistline – from eating out with the kids, but because it’s actually brought me closer to them and makes me feel happier that they’re ok.

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