Calculated based on dour factors like lingering Christmas debt and time since failing on New Year’s resolutions, Blue Monday is said to be the most depressing day of the year.
Because I believe in avoiding sadness when possible, I give you…
20 THINGS TO DO ON BLUE MONDAY TO COMBAT DEPRESSION!
1. Put on really excellent, upbeat music (if you have the foresight, ask your friend to make you a fast-paced mix CD). Get out some paper and paints (or other art supplies of your choice) and play around for an hour or two.
2. Make a playlist of YouTube videos that uplift you. Watch them all and take notes.
3. Dig up a book or movie you absolutely loved when you were a kid, and enjoy!
4. Plan some sort of adventure with your happiest, most love-filled friend. (I’m a big fan of chatting over tea followed by a long bookstore trawl and maybe a trip to a local sex shop, but you can do whatever you want!)
5. Buy, make, or unearth something new to wear. Don it and take self-portraits.
6. Write a list of affirmations, then go somewhere private, preferably with a mirror, and shout or announce them as loud as you feasibly can, while jumping up and down and conjuring joyful feelings inside your body.
7. Set a big, exciting goal, and take one significant step toward achieving it.
8. Rent (or torrent) a comedy film you’ve never seen that is actually funny and actually good. (Hint: most mainstream comedies made in the past 10 years don’t fall into this category, though if you insist, something starring Will Ferrell is usually a decent bet.) Invite some friends over, if you like. Guffaw for a while.
9. Meditate for 5+ minutes while focusing intently on one or more extremely happy experiences you’ve had in your life. Make a little list in advance if you’re the forgetful type. Relive those wonderful feelings.
10. Write a love letter. Could be for a lover, a friend, a crush, the checkout girl at the used bookstore, the barista who makes your lattes, your pet, your neighbor, or even yourself. Sending it is optional but preferred.
11. Go on Etsy and spend a long time window-shopping for something you really need, or have been wanting for a while (goat’s milk soap? purple eyeshadow? a white stuffed bear? a pillow emblazoned with Alec Baldwin’s face?). Add the best ones to your favorites and then go through them and make detailed charts to decide which one to buy. Then buy it, all the while revelling in how great you are for supporting independent craftsters, and eagerly and excitedly await the package’s arrival in your mailbox.
12. Do your hair and/or makeup in a way you usually don’t (yes, even if you’re a boy). If you like how it turns out, take pictures and/or go for a walk.
13. Indulge (safely and sanely) in an intoxicating substance. (I’ve been known to devour a bar of ginger dark chocolate when I want to force myself to be creative or energetic. It’s surprisingly effective at getting me into the vortex as well.)
14. Divide a page of your notebook into two columns: “What’s not working in my life?” and “What can I do to fix it?” Implement at least one of those changes right away.
15. Do something physically active and ideally kind of mindless. Run on a treadmill. Go for a walk. Follow along with a yoga video. Hula hoop. Stretch. Do jumping jacks.
16. Build a Sanctuary of Comfort, whatever that means to you. Maybe you want a blanket fort, or a bed with a lot of pillows, or a tent filled with Christmas lights. Stock it with your favorite warm beverage and your favorite entertaining distractions. Don’t take your phone in with you. Luxuriate.
17. Make up extravagant fictional characters, who are perhaps similar to the type of person you envision as your “best self,” and write stories about what they’re doing on Blue Monday.
18. Write yourself a long, congratulatory letter pointing out all your successes of the past year. Be proud of yourself - you’ve come a long way.
19. Sit in a café and people-watch. Eavesdrop. Send telepathic blessings to people who seem downtrodden, and telepathic congratulations to people who seem awesome and happy.
20. Think of your own unique, creative, life-affirming, depression-dismissing way to commemorate and celebrate Blue Monday. Maybe it’ll be a new yearly tradition for you.