I’m scrolling through my phonebook, trying to find a relevant recipient for a daily dose of joy. After a decade in journalism I have some weird contacts in my phone. As well as friends and family and a virtual black book of dates, there sits Diane Abbott’s name, alongside Howard Marks (RIP), Rick Stein’s sons’ and someone I once interviewed about animal assisted therapy (skunks worked best for schizophrenics, I’d learnt). Luckily whoever is about to receive today’s morale boost won’t know it’s from me – so I don’t have to feel like any kind of creep texting something nice to someone who may have forgotten I exist. Which is why I’ve basically forgotten dating apps exist and am now obsessed with this instead.
Morale – a mental health-boosting app launched in 2022 – last week began a Christmas campaign to keep us all as cheered as possible as the weather worsens, work hours extend and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) becomes just as talked about as raging world wars. Everyone I know is now talking about SAD and everyone seems to have it, but with darkening skies and other people’s noses dripping onto your sleeve on the tube, can anyone blame us?
