I learned from the Houston Chronicle that tomorrow is Blue Monday. A psychologist in the United Kingdom calculated the most depressing day on the calendar. That day is the third Monday in January which is on January 18. To calculate the most depressing day on the calendar such factors as weather and debt were considered.
I can see why “Blue Monday” is in January. It is winter time. It is too cold most of the time to do the outdoor activities that I like to do. The trees and plants look dreary and dead. Also, the bills for all those Christmas presents have arrived and everyone is trying to figure out how to pay the bills and wishing that they had not spent so much money. According to the article the solution to “Blue Monday” is to get happy. So my question is how do I “get happy”?
As I read the paper, I came upon the solution in black and white. An article in the Parade section of the paper listed the following on “How to Get Happy”.
- Act happy – even if you aren’t yet. Does that make me a poser? Supposedly, it will cheer me up and everyone else around me. I definitely will give that a try tomorrow at work.
- Seek out positive distractions. Think about what gives me pleasure and do it. Don’t wait for the activity to come to me – take the action myself. This sounds fun. But I will have to wait until the evening to do this. I do not think my boss will like me daydreaming at work or taking time out to go to the movies.
- Do one thing at a time – at least for one or two hours a day. Apparently, multitasking can make me feel tense. Focusing on one activity calming and will allow me to enjoy the experience fully. No more watching TV and reading a book at the same time. Or watching TV and washing dishes. My personal favorite is watching TV and falling asleep during the show. Actually, that is quite pleasurable.
- Take action. Supposedly, passivity will make me feel worse. Choosing to change, even a very small step, is a mood enhancer. I believe that taking action will make me happy. I just need to remember to take the small step instead of the giant leap. The giant leap is what usually causes me such stress. So the small step that I am going to take tomorrow is act positive about tomorrow in hopes that I will beat “Blue Monday” and have a happy day.
What about you? How are you planning on beating the blues?
Reflections 