Blue Monday marks the third Monday of January, infamously known as the gloomiest day of the year. Certainly, the winter months can be a challenge for us all. With a flurry of exams and a lack of Vitamin D, it’s safe to say we’re not exactly thriving, reminiscing on those summer months and putting the world on Do Not Disturb.
In discussion with my housemates, we all shared the ways in which we cope with the notorious SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. Simple things such as exercise, Vitamin D supplements and meeting up with friends can loosen the burden of seasonal depression. I find that personally, keeping myself busy and active goes a long way in keeping my mind and my body happy and healthy.
However, on this Blue Monday, which marked the 19th of January, I noticed something quite bizarre. The sheer quantity of emails I received from large companies using the concept of Blue Monday and Seasonal Depression as a marketing hook felt strange and morally questionable. Rather than spreading awareness, or offering help, it felt like opportunism.
If only seasonal depression could be cured with a new pair of trainers.
Seeing this prompted me into thinking about how capitalism is constantly adapting and finding new ways to target consumers. Through creating new pressures to buy, we are tricked into thinking we can solve emotional distress with “retail therapy”. This is an unhealthy habit that feeds into the hands of large corporations.
Mind Charity shared a message on their Instagram account, @mindcharity, claiming “Blue Monday is a pseudoscience marketing gimmick that was made up in 2005 by a travel company to sell more holidays. Depression doesn’t care what day it is”. This interesting perspective again encourages us to consider the ever-growing ways in which companies target us and disguise spending as a necessity.
Therefore, we all may, in one way or another, suffer with seasonal depression to different extents. However, Blue Monday appears to be becoming another date in the diary, alongside the countless other made-up days that sway us into opening up our wallets...