If you've woken up feeling like everything is a little bit gloomier this morning, it could be because today is Blue Monday.
Some claim it is supposedly the most depressing day of the year. There's no doubt the month of January can be hard for many.
There are some who look at is as a time for fresh starts, a time to embark on new endeavours and challenges.
But for many it's completely miserable. Our bodies are still recovering from Christmas over-indulgence, our wallets are feeling the pinch and many have put strict restrictions on themselves.
The warmth of summer is still far away, and although we're not in lockdown still, we're in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.
But why is today, of all days, known as Blue Monday? Here is everything you need to know.
What is Blue Monday?
Blue Monday is supposedly the most depressing day of year, due to a number of factors.
It usually falls on the third Monday of January every year, although it can also fall on the second or fourth.
The first Blue Monday was marked in 2005 when the idea was conceived by life coach and happiness consultant Dr Cliff Arnall.
He was asked by travel firm Sky Travel, who anted to promote their winter deals, to work out he most depressing day of the year.
Cliff published a formula to work it out using factors such as the weather, debt, the amount of time elapsed since Christmas and since we failed New Year's Resolutions, as well as general feelings of low motivation.
The psychologist believed this formula could be used to predict when people would be poking trips to sunny holiday destinations.
Although originally a PR invention, it is now an annual event.
Is Blue Monday really the most depressing day of the year?
Since coming up with the formula, Dr Arnall has since urged Brits to "refute the whole notion" of Blue Monday.
He told The Daily Telegraph in 2013 that "it is not particularly helpful to put that out there and say ‘there you are’,” going on to describe Blue Monday as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Despite being picked up by PR companies all over the world, the formula has also been debunked by several members of the scientific community.
Many have suggested there is no way you could assign numerical values to factors such as "weather".
Stephen Buckley, mental health charity Mind’s head of information, previously said: “There is no credible evidence behind the concept of a most depressing day of the year."
In addition, recently collected data has has shown that the most unhappy period of January tends to fall later in the third week.
According to HappyOrNot, the makers of the "smiley face" consumer feedback terminals found in airports, in 2021 it fell on Wednesday 20.
However, this wasn't found to be the most unhappy day of the year as a whole.
According to HappyOrNot's data, the most unhappy day of the year in 2021 fell on May 26.
