Depending on when you were born or how much influence the 1980s has had over your life, when you hear the words “Blue Monday”, you might start humming the opening bars of the New Order song of the same name. 

But now, more than 30 years after its release, Blue Monday has a different meaning altogether. The third Monday of January has now earned itself the rather gloomy title of Blue Monday, as it’s generally accepted to be the most depressing day of the year. This year, Blue Monday falls on 18th January. 

Christmas and New Year are now but a distant memory, the weather is dark and cold, Spring seems an awfully long way away and we’ve already forgotten our new year resolutions. This year especially, as we’re still navigating our way around a global pandemic (and have been now for close to a year), we might be feeling even more blue this Blue Monday.

But there are ways we can make ourselves feel more positive and a little less down this year. Here’s four ways you can make the whole of January feel better!

1. Be thankful for what you have. This isn’t meant to make you feel guilty for not appreciating things, instead it’s a gentle reminder that it’s sometimes the things we don’t think about that can provide us with the most amount of joy. It can help to make a list, so each night before you sleep, write down three things that have made you thankful that day. They can be the same as the day before, because if something is making you happy every day, then it deserves to be recorded! Your list can include anything from being thankful for your children/grandchildren or partner to feeling joy from writing a letter to a faraway loved one to feeling a sense of accomplishment from making a meal from scratch. Even a cheery hello from your Postie is worthy of your list if it made you smile. 
2. The benefits of exercise extend far beyond the physical side. The mental health benefits of exercise are caused by the release of ‘feel good’ hormones called endorphins. Endorphins are known to act as natural painkillers within the body and also trigger a positive feeling, making us feel happy. Regular exercise means that more endorphins are being released, so please don’t give up on your OYG plan.
3. All exercise is beneficial, but some are even more so for boosting our mood. For example, our Mood Boost Flow yoga class encourages you to move more dynamically than some other yoga classes which opens the heart and encourages those feel good endorphins to flow. Also, because nothing creates a good mood more than letting go and dancing with abandon, we’ve developed a Latin Aerobics Dance Class that won’t fail to lift your spirits. 
4. Finally, if chocolate is your go-to snack for cheering you up, but you know you’re going to feel guilty about the calories, then all is not lost… Make our Chocolate and Almond Smoothie for a low calorie yet filling chocolate hit, without the side of guilt!