Hands up who among you is dreading Blue Monday, officially the most depressing day of the year? This year, 2026, Blue Monday falls on 19th January. So, what’s the meaning behind it and how do we deal with it? According to Google’s AI model, “it highlights common feelings of low mood due to post-holiday debt, cold/dark weather, and broken New Year’s resolutions.” Thinking about it in those terms, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Obviously bollocks.
First of all, there’s no science behind Blue Monday. We know that Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a debilitating condition suffered by many, we know that the short days and the ensuing darkness, as well as the cold weather can lower mood. But a brief trip to the internet soon reveals that Blue Monday was invented back in 2004 by a psychologist called Cliff Arnall on behalf of a travel agent, Sky Travel, in order to flog winter holidays. It’s what we experts call a scam.
It also trivialises mental health, specifically poor mental health. As I never fail to point out – and is just too bad if you are fed up reading it – no other medical condition is treated as lightly by society than mental health. I know from experience that depression is not just being a bit fed up. “Post holiday debt, cold/dark weather and broken New Year’s resolutions” may worsen my mood but they are not causal effects if my illness. That runs much deeper.
Nonsense like Blue Monday plays into the hands of slimy, almost always right-wing, politicians who seek to undermine those with mental illnesses for their own nefarious reasons. In 2024, the prime minister Rishi Sunak (remember him?) said there was “a need to be more honest about the risk of over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life”, echoing the words of his health secretary Mel Stride who said that that too often doctors “label or medicalise” conditions which in the past were seen as “the ups and downs of life”. Obviously, no one ever talks about physical illness, like cancer in those terms. Us mental folk are seen as fair game by cynical, opportunistic politicians and their journalistic toadies because you can’t always see mental illness. You see, we could be making it all up for a lucrative lifetime on generous benefits, runs the perverse argument. Maybe there are people faking their own mental health conditions, but I suspect no more than those pretending they have physical conditions. Hardly any, I’d venture. Why would you want to? Generally speaking, benefit rates are incredibly low.
The journey from autumn to winter and then winter itself can lower mood – it certainly does mine – and it may make my clinical depression worse but just making up a day like Blue Monday is a complete irrelevance. When spring arrives on 1st March, my overall mood may begin to improve, but my illness will still be there.
So, don’t fret about Blue Monday because it isn’t really a thing. Poor mental health is, though, and never fail to reach out if you think yours is getting worse.
