Catherine Scott: Why I was determined not to give in to Blue Monday

I was determined not to fall foul of the so-called Blue Monday phenomenon this year.
Traffic jams are enough to make most drivers turn the air blue.Traffic jams are enough to make most drivers turn the air blue.
Traffic jams are enough to make most drivers turn the air blue.

I was determined not to fall foul of the so-called Blue Monday phenomenon this year.

The term which refers to the third Monday in January which so-called ‘experts’ say is the day when we feel our most depressed.

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It is supposed to be the combination of days since Christmas,. the weather and the fact your whopping great credit card bill from Christmas lands on the door mat.

But more recently these ‘experts have been outed as nothing more than a marketing ploy by a travel company determined to use the day to encourage people to book a holiday to the sun.

Even before I knew this I was determined not to sucked in to feeling blue just because someone told me it was Blue Monday.

However things didn’t quite go according to plan.

It didn’t start well when my pre-teenager almost missed the bus due to the imperative need to spend half an hour straightening her hair.

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‘What’s wrong with a bobble?’ I enquired. You would have thought I’d asked her to wear a bright pink balaclava to school.

Any way we all eventually managed to get out of the door, one with dead straight hair of course although little breakfast, only to be greeted by the news that an accident on the A1 meant standstill traffic. I tried a detour suggested by my husband to avoid said accident, but strangely I wasn’t the first person to have that idea.

My normal 40 minute journey to Leeds took more than twice as long as usual and then of course there was no where to park.

So by the time I sat down at my desk my resolve to try to keep cheery was waning somewhat. It was compounded by the gremlins in my computer

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However just as I was about to agree with said ‘experts’ I heard that the collision on the A1 had involved 14 cars.

Suddenly my day didn’t seem so bad and what really did I have to be blue about anyway.

And I think that was a good lesson. Whatever small irritation came along during the rest of the day I had to put them into perspective. There were people having far bluer Monday than I.

There is no reason why Monday January 18 should be any bluer than any other day of the year, unless you let it of course.

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Christmas itself for people on their own can be a very depressing affair. Your mental health is about far more than just a particular day of the year plucked at obscurity by the marketing machine. If you feel blue so be it, but don’t let anyone talk you in to it.

Twitter@ypcscott

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