Samaritans says Blue Monday can 'get in the bin'

Mental health charity Samaritans is working to tackle the myth of Blue Monday, saying it can "get in the bin".

For the blissfully unaware, Blue Monday falls on the third Monday in January and is often said to be the most depressing day of the year.

For some reason, the UK and beyond have accepted Blue Monday as fact – but its origins may shock you, with a lack of scientific backing.

Blue Monday didn't derive from a groundbreaking psychological study or scientific research. No, it was coined by a UK travel agent in a bid to sell more holidays.

The now-non-existent travel company Sky Travel teamed up with psychologist and life coach Cliff Arnall as a part of a 2005 press release.

They claimed to have used an equation to calculate the date and declared it the most depressing day of the year.

Samaritans have since turned to social media to raise awareness of the myth with a tweet which reads: "The myth that today is the most ‘depressing day of the year’ seems to pop up every year and we’ve honestly had enough of it!"

They went on to share three reasons "it can get in the bin."

The charity started by calling it out as a "complete marketing gimmick," before going on to explain that Blue Monday "over simplifies the complex nature of mental health challenges and plays into unhelpful stereotypes."

They added: "It risks trivialising real emotions and feelings for sales."

Thirdly, Samaritans acknowledged that we all have our "good and bad days," and noted that they have nothing to do with a "random made up day in January."

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