It’s cold and dark outside, Christmas is over, the cost of living crisis is definitely not over and New Year’s resolutions may already have been broken. Anything sound familiar?
Welcome to Blue Monday, the third Monday of January, often labelled ‘the saddest day of the year’. This year, we thought we’d find out What Blue Monday is and where the label came from…
The history of Blue Monday
Blue Monday was actually a concept created by psychologist, Dr Cliff Arnall originally for Sky Travel Shop, a TV channel devoted to all things travelling, back in 2005.
Dr Cliff Arnall devised an equation in which (according to a BBC report)‘ took into account the weather, the amount of debt a person has after Christmas and their ability to pay it off on payday, the time elapsed since Christmas, levels of motivation and the need to take action, and how long it was since people had broken New Year’s resolutions’ and from this, he worked out that the third Monday in January was the saddest of the year.
However, in the years since, Dr Cliff has admitted to The Independent that it was more pseudoscience than anything more concrete. “I was originally asked to come up with what I thought was the best day to book a summer holiday but when I started thinking about the motives for booking a holiday, reflecting on what thousands had told me during stress management or happiness workshops, there were these factors that pointed to the third Monday in January as being particularly depressing.”
So Blue Monday’s a myth?
Well, kind of… everybody experiences things differently and whilst for one person, Blue Monday is really blue, for another person the crisp January air might make it their favourite day, whereas for most of us, it’s just another Monday!
If you are feeling down then it’s always important to take care of yourself and talk about your mental health. There are many organisations and online resources that can support you if you need some help. Mind are one such organisation who are always there to provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
What has this got to do with recruitment?
January is traditionally the month when we see the highest number of new jobseekers enter the marketplace. Coming back to work following the festive period and time spent with family and friends can lead to the desire for a change or at least to explore opportunities anew.
Whether you are a job hunter or seeking to hire new people for your team, Jonathan Lee Recruitment is here to support you, not just on Blue Monday but all year around.
So, whether you’re actively looking for a new role or just starting to dip your toes back into the recruitment pool to see what’s out there, you can discover all of our latest Advanced Tech, Engineering and Manufacturing jobs here.
Blog updated for 2023
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