The third Monday of January (16 January), also known as ‘Blue Monday’, is commonly referred to as the most depressing day of the year - a widespread marketing ploy initially coined to encourage us all to get booking holidays!

With the long nights, rainy weather and Christmas behind us, some of us can indeed find this time of year quite challenging. However, with 1 in 4 people in NI experiencing depression during their lifetime, it’s clear that depression is not confined to simply one day of the year. Instead, proposing that depression can be so fleeting can trivialise an illness that can be debilitating and sometimes even life-threatening. Clinical and seasonal depression are real illnesses that affect many people across NI on any day of the year.

However, it does provide a welcome opportunity to #ReclaimBlueMonday. Instead, we’re using today to remind people of the importance of prioritising our mental health – every day of the year. 

Here, we’ve provided a few tips to help you reset and introduce steps to protect your mental health today and every day:

1. Get into nature – We know that the darker evenings and mornings can affect our mood, so it’s important to make the most of the natural daylight. Try going for a walk with friends or colleagues on your coffee or lunch break. And remember, it’s getting brighter, and the days are getting longer each day! 
   
   
2. Stay connected – After the hustle and bustle of the Christmas period, many of us can find it challenging to transition back into our everyday routines – especially for those who work from home. Consider organising a virtual lunch or coffee break to catch up with your manager and team throughout the week to help you feel less isolated or stressed. And keep in touch with your loved ones throughout the day. If meeting in person is not feasible, consider a video call or a virtual dinner date.
    
3. Limit your time on social media – Social media can often lead to comparison. At this time of year, it can become overwhelming as we can be bombarded with messages about setting goals for the year ahead. Although resolutions can be helpful as they can motivate you or provide a sense of direction, they can also put a lot of pressure on us to achieve them. Consider spending less time on social media to lessen your exposure to such messaging and instead try to focus on what makes you happy and makes you feel good about yourself. 
   
   
4. Talk about how you’re feeling – It’s important to talk about your feelings to someone you trust. By opening up, we often find that we are not alone and that, in fact, there are people out there who can help and are facing similar challenges to you. If you would like to speak to AWARE NI about how we can help, please email info@aware-ni.org.