TextNow Guide
Trending

The Myth and Reality of Blue Monday

Kevin

Kevin

 

January 18, 2021

The Myth and Reality of Blue Monday

So, I have some good news, and some bad news.

Blue Monday (legendarily considered to be the most depressing day of the year), falls on January 18 this year. Why is Blue Monday so depressing? Because theoretically, the third Monday of January (aka "Blue Monday ") is a perfect storm of suckiness: The holiday season is over,  those Christmas credit bills are upsettingly large, the weather (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere at least) is usually cold and wet and grey and gross, and statistically speaking you've probably already blown your New Year's resolution. Hence: Blue Monday.

Here's the good news, though ---  There's no actual scientific basis for Blue Monday.  It was popularized by British travel agency Sky Travel in a series of ads in 2005 (inspired, one assumes, by New Order's massive hit song "Blue Monday"). As part of the ad campaign, Sky Travel claimed the date calculation was based on an pseudo-scientific "equation" — completely fabricated, of course:

blue monday equation
It's an equation, so it MUST be true!

That's the good news.

The bad news is, of course, depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder are very much real. And while the cause of depression isn't dependent on a calendar date, people who (like me) who suffer from depression or S.A.D. might be having some extra trouble this Blue Monday, considering the state of, well...everything.

So regardless of the validity of Blue Monday or not, if you know a person who struggles with depression — or you are a person who struggles with depression — consider Blue Monday a nice excuse to learn about some resources to help with that struggle.

Anxiety And Depression Association Of America

Founded in 1979, ADAA is an international nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the prevention, treatment, and cure of anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and co-occurring disorders through education, practice, and research. The ADAA site is chock full of resources on a wide range of anxiety and depression related disorders.

National Network Of Depression Centers (NNDC)

That link aboce will take you to a truly amazing and in-depth collection of resources specifically geared towards depression and related issues: hotlines, PTSD, bipolar support, supports for adolescent and college age sufferers of depression, substance abuse, and multicultural supports. It should be your first stop on your journey towards living and dealing with depression.

BetterHelp

An online therapy service — BetterHelp uses a subscription model ($60-$90/week) to connect you with licensed and credentialed therapists and counsellors for literally any reason you might need a therapist or counsellor.

And if you're in need of a phone number that will allow you to make these critical calls, head over to TextNow—or download the app on your phone—and get a phone number with unlimited calling and texting for free.

Related posts