It is said that the third Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year, also known as “Blue Monday”. In any case, this is how it was described in the advertising campaign of the travel agency Sky Travel in 2005. Thus was born the idea of a particularly sad day in an already difficult winter month. . Except that… this “Blue Monday” is above all a marketing tool, created to sell holidays, recalls journalist Olivia Petter, in the columns of the British daily The Independent.
The primary goal of this invention is therefore to make us spend our money. Moreover, (too) many days of the year could face the same criticism as the third Monday in January. What if, on the contrary, January was the most extraordinary month of the year? This is the bold postulate of the journalist from The Independent, who presents her arguments to us.
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Make a clean sweep of the past
First of all, the first month of the calendar offers an exceptional opportunity: that of making a clean slate of the past to focus solely on a better future. No more endless conversations with your ex, this year is for you. It is true that adopting this attitude is more of a mental exercise than a reality made possible by the new year, but all the same, give yourself this chance. Yes, when it is January, there is a whole year and four seasons left to live. Perhaps you will find love or experience an exciting professional turning point. Olivia Petter firmly believes in it.
If, by any chance, you decide to drastically reduce your consumption of meat or alcohol, know that there are also many positive reasons to quit smoking or join a sports club. No, not everything has to be done under duress. Approach things with enthusiasm, Olivia Petter tells us again.
-Another reason makes January an exceptional time of our year: it follows December. We might be tempted to forget it, but this final month of the calendar and the end-of-year holidays are not always joyful times. For some of us, these are also trying times, sometimes marked by isolation.
And then, isn't all this opulence characteristic of Christmas unbearable? You always have to eat more chocolate, finish the last bottle of champagne… Yes, some people hate these moments, you shouldn't blame them. They may also be struck by a deep melancholy, which reminds them of someone who is no longer with them or, more generally, of a bygone period.
The strength of the month of January lies in all these aspects. Finally, it is true that it is unbearable to be subjected to the depressing marketing that surrounds the first month of the year. Let's fight not to let this bad mindset enter our heads.