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Nicknamed 'Blue Monday,' the third Monday in January is widely regarded to be the 'most depressing day of the year.' The idea of Blue Monday was born in 2005 when Dr. Cliff Arnall developed a 'formula' to determine the most depressing day of the year as part of a promotion for UK travel company Sky Travel.
"Blue Monday - January Blues Day is Officially Announced," the 2005 press release proclaimed, according to The Guardian. "The 26th January is the most depressing day in the calendar for the majority of Brits as measured by a simple mathematical formula developed on behalf of Sky Travel." The 'formula' considered factors including the average temperature, days since last pay, days until the next bank holiday, average hours of daylight, and the number of nights in during the month.
However, Dr. Arnall has distanced himself from his 'Blue Monday' formula, later telling The Telegraph that he was asked to come up with what he thought would be 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.
.. but it is not particularly helpful to put that out there and say ‘there you are’.
.. it is almost a self-fulfilling prophecy that it is the most depressing day.
" Despite this, the idea of 'Blue Monday' persists. Whether or not 'Blue Monday' is real, there's no doubt we could all use a bit of cheering up throughout the cold days of January! Read on to check out some Irish ways to beat 'Blue Monday ..
.' Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! The only thing that makes comfort food more, well, comforting is adding a bit of Irish flair to it. Check out these tasty Irish treats that are sure to ban the winter blues! Fancy a cuppa? (Getty Images) Put the feet up and position yourself on your couch for Blue Monday with these entertaining Irish movies and shows: (Netflix) Tune out the world on Blue Monday by opening up one of Ireland's innumerable reads: "Circle of Friends" by Maeve Binchy.
The Dubliners..
