Blue Monday isn't real – here's why

Christmas is over, the days are short, and the weather is grey and bleak. It’s no wonder January wears the crown for the grimmest month of the year.

But it’s the third Monday of Jan which is widely known as the most depressing, even earning itself the moniker ‘Blue Monday’.

Check your calendar and you’ll see yes, that’s today (January 16). So should we all crawl under a duvet and hide until it’s over?

No, says mental health charity the Samaritans, because the whole thing is a total fabrication.

In fact, it was all just a wildly successful marketing ploy and there’s zero evidence behind it.

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In a tweet on ‘Blue Monday’ morning, the charity listed three reasons why the term belonged in the bin. They are as follows:

1. It was made up in 2005 to help a travel company sell holidays. There’s no scientific evidence, it’s just a marketing gimmick
2. It plays into unhelpful stereotypes around mental health
3. We all have bad days and they have nothing to do with a random day in January.

Instead of focussing on the negatives today, the Samaritans are calling on the public to start the week with a nice cup of tea and a chat: replacing ‘Blue Monday’ with ‘Brew Monday’?

“Reach out to a mate for a cuppa – and spend time catching up with the people you care about,” they said.

We can get on board with that.

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