Freya Simms
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I’m not referring to the New Order club hit we remember from 1983 or the countless remixes, I’m referring the so-called most depressing day of the year, expected to be on Monday 21st January. Yes, not every day in a year ending with ‘13’ will be a lucky one.
According to Cliff Arnall, the originator of this theory, Blue Monday falls on the Monday of the last full week in January and is calculated according to the expected bad weather, debt levels and the dreaded card statements counting the cost of Christmas, the time elapsed since Christmas, the time since failing in our New Year’s resolutions, and a general sense of low motivation levels.
To make matters even worse, the happiest day of the year is not scheduled until somewhere around the longest day of the year, in June. Although with George Osborne’s announcement last month that that the age of austerity will last another 2 years than first expected, all the way until 2018, I’m not entirely sure that that happiest day in June is scheduled for 2013 after all.
So while you wait for the happiest day to arrive, here are a few ways to avoid having a miserable day on Monday from the Scoopt Team:
- Don’t sit at your desk and eat your Pret sandwich; reclaim your lunch break by doing something a little bit different to break up your day and lift your mood. Catch the free lunchtime concert at St Martin-in-the-Fields at 1pm, or go for a walk in Hyde Park along the Serpentine to watch the birds.
- Leave work a little early, and at around 5:30pm look for some inspiration in the National Gallery. Surrounded by such beauty, you can’t fail to be uplifted. Particular highlights to look out for are Van Gogh’s Sunflowers for its cheery energy, Constable’s The Hay Wain for a bit of pastoral serenity, and Stubbs’s Whistlejacket for something big and impressive. Take a sketchbook, if you fancy it, and get creative yourself.
- If being inspired by the creative muse has left you hungry, head over at around 6:30pm to Ed’s Easy Diner, Soho. Order a burger to satisfy those hunger pangs; it’s still better than any diner in NYC. And, as it’s a Monday, get their handmade milkshakes at a discount as part of their ‘Shake Up Mondays’. Easy on the palate, and also easy on your credit card.
- On Blue Monday, you’re definitely in need of a laugh so at 7:30pm go watch legendary comedian Alexei Sayle in his first full-length solo stand-up show in over 16 years at the Soho Theatre. It’s the first night, so you’ll get all the excitement of hearing the new material first. Have a few drinks in the Soho Theatre bar, and sit back and enjoy the show.
Not planning on being in Soho? Download the app from Scoopt.com to find places near you to cheer up Blue Monday.
