'Just one day' | PR stunt or not, Blue Monday highlights major need for staff wellbeing aid

'Blue Monday' is upon us, and while many a column inch is dedicated to this day every year, debate rages over the veracity of the “most depressing day of the year” claims.

The term was coined by Psychologist and Life Coach, Cliff Arnall in 2004, who purportedly created a “formula” for what he deemed the “most depressing day of the year” on behalf of travel agency Sky Travel. The firm then used the phrase in a press release to promote their winter deals.

The idea that one day of the year – specifically the start of the third week of January - is the most depressing day of the year is now widely considered as pseudoscience. Nevertheless, statistics do point towards low levels of wellbeing in the first month of the new year.

And it’s not hard to see why. January is a cold, dark wintery month at best, and for many, this third week of the year is naturally the period when reality starts to sink back in, after a Christmas and New Year break.