💙 Blue Monday - But is it really?
“Blue Monday is the saddest day of the year.” But is it, really?
When did we collectively decide that the third week of January is the moment we all collapse into misery - as if sadness were something that could be scheduled into our calendars?
The truth is far less dramatic and far more revealing.
Photography by @eddrobertson
Blue Monday wasn’t discovered by science, it was invented. Coined by a psychologist for a PR campaign designed to sell holidays, it began as a marketing idea and somehow evolved into an emotional truth and that alone should make us question how much power we allow headlines to have over our inner lives.
If we’re feeling low in January, it isn’t because of a formula. It’s because we’re human. And for many of us, this time of year isn’t about sadness at all - it’s about just simply being tired. Tired of carrying the mental load, of holding it together. of starting the year already feeling behind.
January arrives heavy with expectation: resolutions, glow-ups, vision boards, five-year plans. As if we are meant to emerge from winter as fully reprogrammed versions of ourselves. As if rest hasn’t been squeezed into the margins of work, family, relationships and emotional labour.
So, instead of letting a pseudo-scientific label dictate our emotional state, perhaps January is meant to be something softer - a quiet continuation rather than a violent reset. A pause. A moment to look back before rushing forward. Because the past year was not empty.
You coped. You adapted. You learned. You survived.
That counts - even if it wasn’t photogenic. And if your energy is low right now, it doesn’t mean you are failing. It means you are human in winter.
So if Blue Monday brings anything useful, let it be this:
Not punishment workouts, but movement that serves you for the years ahead.
Limit comparison. Social media is not a documentary. You are not behind - you are just seeing highlight reels.
Be on your own side. Rest is not laziness, slowness is not failure. You do not owe productivity to winter.
Ironically, even a made-up concept like Blue Monday can still do some good - if it opens space to talk about mental health honestly, without drama or stigma. If it shifts the focus from myths to real support.
Winter can feel quietly overwhelming. So check in on your friends. On your sisters. On the women who always seem ‘fine’. And remember: You don’t need to become someone new this week. You just need to take care of who you already are 💙
Written by Maria Tułecka