Blue Monday for people of a certain age is remembered as a New Order song from the late 1980’s.

However, it has been used in a different context in recent years. We haven’t got a lot to be happy about at the moment with coronavirus in its various guises having a significant impact on all of our lives. To make matters worse, the third Monday of January has been awarded the gloomy title due to a combination of post-Christmas blues, cold dark nights and the arrival of unpaid credit card bills. And that is in a ‘normal year’. Yippee!

A university professor managed to precisely calculate the most depressing day of the year, using the following formula:

[W + D – d] T^Q

MN_a

Where weather = W, debt = d, time since Christmas = T, time since failing our new year’s resolutions = Q, low motivational levels = M and the feeling of a need to take action = Na. ‘D’ is not defined in the release, nor are units.

Supposedly the professor calculated the date by using many factors, including weather conditions, debt level (the difference between debt accumulated and our ability to pay), time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and feeling of a need to take action.

Other people believe that ‘Blue Monday’ is a PR stunt that was designed to sell holidays. Even if it is a myth and not scientifically proven, it is an excuse to call people and say ‘hello’. Mental health and depression can happen on any day of the year. Each person’s circumstances are different, and we should be thinking about both ours and other people’s mental health every day.

Therefore, what a great time to ensure that we talk to our friends and colleagues and say ‘hello’, many of whom are working from home and possibly just staring at a computer screen. A positive message from the company owner or even a spontaneous MS Teams or Zoom call for everyone during lunchtime would work wonders. Perhaps it can be planned for the next week or month too?

Ironically, to go back to the start, the New Order song was initially released on an album called ‘Substance’……

Coppice HR provides cost-effective, professional HR support. Contact Paul at Coppice HR (paul@coppicehr.com, 07814 008478 or www.coppicehr.com) to discuss and develop your HR plans, ‘Blue Monday’ related or not!

“You Do The Business, We Do The HR”