What is Blue Monday? Some refer to the 3rd Monday in January as the gloomiest day of the year due to a number of factors – but there’s even science behind the anecdotally dubbed most depressing date of the year.

Blue Monday was first referenced by Sky Travel in 2005. The company, who were keen to calculate when people tend to book their holidays, commissioned a British psychologist – Dr Cliff Arnal to create a formula to do just that, and he did! The below formula is shown 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=N_a. Et voila! He calculated that the 3rd Monday of January is the year’s gloomiest day!

But we don’t want you to panic, as we have some of the leading names appearing at Thrive Festival sharing their top tips for getting on with today and seeing the bright lights ahead in 2020! The Queen of Health, Nichola Flood tells us what’s on her good mood food checklist and also some self-body care. POUND Fitness’ Carla Reynolds explains why getting moving on Monday is just the thing to shake off the blues. Meditation guru Kadam Adam Starr gives you his hints to stay calm.

The Queen of Health – Nichola Flood
The most import thing to do is get in a better mood with the food you eat today. My “good mood food checklist” has all you need to keep on track for the day:
1. Eat 7 portions of veg and 2 portions of fruit.
2. Eat a handful of mixed nuts
3. Eat 1 dessert spoon of mixed seeds
4. Include whole grains in your meals – brown rice, whole oats, quinoa, barley, rye, etc.
5. Drink 2 litres of pure, filtered, water

Take care of your body on Blue Monday. Have a bath or shower and make it really special. Use your favourite products, add a few drops of essential oils to the water, listen to music. Take your time to relax and unwind. You can even add some Epsom salts that will help to reduce stress and give you a great night sleep.

POUND Fitness’ Carla Reynolds – the top tip to get you moving on Blue Monday:
Put a little DANCE in your step on Blue Monday by listening to songs that make you smile.

Try it: Carla’s BLUE MONDAY Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/49FMlr8N7kbjYSUsvuIxYN?si=1QfOo-2qRN-kLTc6yts2pg

Kadam Adam Starr – Principal Teacher of Tara Kadampa Meditation Centre, Dublin
A simple meditation practice for Blue Monday … On a day like ‘Blue Monday’, be kind to yourself. Give yourself permission to let go of feelings of stress or anxiety, by simply paying attention to your breath (entering and leaving through your nostrils) instead of your stressful or anxious thoughts and feelings. In this way, you can access a natural inner calm and resilience to work with all the challenges you face.