How do you calculate Blue Monday?

Blue Monday

The blackest of all mondays!

Once a year we get particularly sad. “Blue Monday” is said to be responsible for this. You should be able to calculate the date using a formula that has to do with existing debts, the weather and good intentions.

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Blue Monday: What makes this day so miserable and how you can get through it.

Today is a special day. Whereby special does not refer to a holiday or a special tradition. But on the contrary. You feel tired, depressed and drained today – would you like to go home again? A really gloomy start to the week? No reason to despair. Because today is officially the most depressing day of the year.

What is Blue Monday?

“Blue Monday”, as the blackest day is called, was created in 2005 by Cliff Arnall, a psychologist at Cardiff University. According to «The Independent Online», he came up with this with a mathematical system of equations. Arnall found that most people today simply see pitch black. The weather is bad, it’s still getting dark quickly. The Christmas shopping has completely emptied the wallet, the resolutions for the New Year have been broken again.

Why do we feel so sad?

But that’s not all. “We get up later at the weekend. So we go to bed later on Sunday and wake up grumpy on Monday,” says Phillip Hodson, assistant at the UK Advisory Association. In addition, according to Hodson, we are less satisfied with our appearance because we had veritable binges over the holidays. Of course, the experts also have advice ready. Sport, a good conversation, reading an exciting book, a walk or a fine cup of tea are tips against the “hangover” on blue Monday.

Dogs can also suffer from depression

Post-Christmas melancholy and piling up bills are some factors that can help determine the date of Blue Monday. However, it is not only people who can be affected by depression, but also their four-legged friends.

When is Blue Monday?

The most depressing day of the year is calculated using a formula.

[W + (D-d)] x Tq ÷ [M x Na]

Among other things, it takes into account parameters such as the post-Christmas melancholy, the good resolutions for the New Year that have already been broken again, and the temperatures. More precisely: the weather (W), the debts (D) minus the January salary (d), the time since Christmas (T), the time since the good resolutions failed (Q), the lack of motivation in which one just stuck (M) and the feeling of having to do something (Na). No wonder that many people are in a bad mood these days.

Is it all just a gimmick?

As serious as the formula may appear – Blue Monday is not scientifically proven. In fact, Arnall’s research was commissioned by travel company Sky Travel at the time, presumably with the aim of selling more holidays to sunny countries.

But what really exists is the phenomenon of what is known as winter depression. This mainly depends on the lack of light in the winter months and genetic factors. In contrast to a “real” depression, “winter depression” is seasonal and usually goes away as soon as spring arrives.

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