Blue Monday: Origins
Blue Monday does not fall on the same date each year, but it has to be a Monday, it has to be in January, and it is usually the third Monday of the first month of the year.
Mr. Arnall’s premise is that the gloomiest day of the year would be marked by negatives incidents. For example, bad weather, guilt over not keeping New Years’s resolutions, money worries, and the contrast between the just completed happy holiday season versus the return to the grit and grind of daily life.
From the start, this marketing of a “depressed” day took on a life of its own. Many a websites began publishing lists of “top 10 things to help you face Blue Monday.”
Over 13 years, what started as an idea for a regular marketing campaign gained momentum and part of the internet culture.
Blue Monday now walks a fine line between making January a gloomier month and providing an excuse to talk more openly about mental health.
Blue Monday: Mental Health Professionals Protest
Mental health professionals were up in arms against this marketing campaign. People who are already facing depression or anxiety can find their symptoms getting worse as Blue Monday gets closer.
This day puts additional pressure on people suffering from mental conditions as they fear their condition will get worse on this special day.