Here at Muddy Boots we are passionate about the well-being of our team, so we thought we would share a few tips on how you can beat the blues – not just on Blue Monday, but every day of the year!

What is Blue Monday?

Blue Monday dates back to 2005 when the concept was first published, following academic research completed by Dr Cliff Arnall. The date, was initially calculated using an equation that takes into account weather, debt level, time since Christmas, low motivational levels as well as time since failing New Years resolutions. The date will ordinarily fall on the third Monday in January but can also fall on the second and fourth Monday on occasion. Blue Monday is generally acknowledged in the Northern hemisphere as our colleagues in Australia will agree this is probably their favourite time of the year, given it’s the height of summer!

How can you beat the blues?

Some of the best ways of maintaining your wellbeing are to Stay Connected, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and to Give. You can read more about some of these methods here, but we also wanted to let you know a few more specific things that we’d like to encourage you to do, to beat the blues on 17th January. 

Bright Colours: Join us in wearing something vibrant for Blue Monday and brighten up someone else’s day! We want to see as many of you as possible on video calls and also on Social Media. Send your selfies or tag us on social media to feature in our daily Muddy Boots stories.

Be Active: One of the best ways to maintain your own wellbeing is through physical activity. Whether you’re a regular runner or cyclist, enjoy a leisurely stroll or prefer to exercise in the comfort and warmth of your own home; we want you to make the most of your permitted daily exercise and for those who want to, tag us on social media! Let's see how many minutes/miles we can collectively achieve on Blue Monday.

Reach Out: If you find yourself not feeling at your best then we’d like to encourage you to reach out and speak to someone. You should never underestimate the difference that you can make to others on a day to day basis. Just because you are feeling in a healthy state of mind on a particular day, this may not be the case for everyone. Take an opportunity to reach out to a colleague, friend or relative you may not have spoken to in a while and help them to beat the blues as well!