Today is blue Monday according to an
equation written in 2005
Originally calculated for an advertising
campaign for Sky Travel to establish
the one day of the year we are most likely
to feel blue
It has now become a feature on our
calendar along with Christmas, Easter
and Valentines day
But is it real?
I think as far as feeling ‘blue’ is concerned
it probably is the most likely date, taking
post Christmas, start of the year, pressure
to change your life, weather and dark days
into account, they are part of the equation
For depression and suicide there are other
more significant dates taken from the history
of actual suicides and hospital admissions,
(including Wednesdays and December)
To predict the future you need to look at
the past for recurring events…
Anyone who suffers from mental health
illness or is feeling suicidal, the thought
of a ‘one day of feeling blue’ that a duvet
day could cure?
They would bite your hand off for it
So, an advertising campaign that sells you
the picture of lying in the sun on a day
you’re feeling blue has a great marketing
value
but feeling blue cannot be compared to
depression or feeling suicidal
However, anything that raises awareness
for mental health can only be good, right?
As you may know, I lost my way for a
while recently, it was a classic bipolar
episode that lasted just over a year and
I’m still recovering but feeling a lot better
Depression and suicidal thoughts were
only two symptoms, I found the anxiety,
fear, paranoia, delusions and panic to be
worse
and I got sick even while taking a
mountain of medications and yes I was
given more
Virtually every day I hear from someone
who is struggling mentally, it could be a
short one off episode caused by grief or
a relationship break up
Or more serious like me, knowing there
is no cure, I was born with it and will die
with it and the in between gets managed
with meds that make you stoned and fat
but alive and trying to ‘live’
Feeling blue is an upgrade for me
I also hear from people all the time who
have managed to control their illness
with guess what?
Diet and exercise
Which is fast becoming the cure for all
illness and disease these days
but it does work
Yoga can help with fear and anxiety
both can help with weight problems
Doing a workout gives you endorphins
Good food nourishes the soul
and so on..
Booking a holiday in the sun would lift
your spirits too, giving you something
to look forward to, then giving you all
the benefits of a break and sunshine
So, yeah Blue Monday can only be a
positive but let’s not keep it to one day
Let’s try and look after ourselves as
many days in the year as we can
Get in touch and let me know how you
are and can I help you with anything?
Carolyne
p.s. there are 17 days left in January, if
you want a free trial at the Studio, let
me know
p.p.s if you are suffering from relationship
problems or breakdowns, I can recommend
a service in Glasgow who are excellent at
what they do The Spark
