January is host to ‘the most depressing day of the year‘ with researchers dubbing January 19th, a.k.a. Blue Monday, as the day people’s moods are most affected by their post-Christmas finances, bad weather, personal debt levels and the long wait for summer.
What this is essentially saying is that we’re in the doldrums for a variety of reasons:
The weather: it’s at its darkest in January, and sunlight is a significant determinant of happiness. In fact, in many northern countries, such as those in Scandinavia, the suicide rate trends sharply upward around this date.
Debt: imagine you’re sitting at the kitchen table on the third Monday in January with three documents: a bank statement, a credit card statement and a payslip, and you can see you spent too much in December.
Motivation: You said you’d visit the gym three times per week, it’s the third week in January, and you’ve been once. You’ve now got a mountain to climb to get started because you feel you’ve failed at a resolution already.
By the time we reach the first Monday in February, we observe National Absenteeism Day. For the past few years, this day has been the highest absenteeism day in the entire working calendar, probably because of a lack of motivation more than sickness.
International Happiness Day
Happiness begins when you love and care for yourself (inside), and that is in turn shown on the outside, bringing happiness to others”.
Which mindset are you choosing to adopt?
We all know people who still feel that it is Blue Monday even on National Happiness Day. Some people carry negativity around with them 365 days a year.
You know the type of person I’m talking about. This person sees the glass as half empty, looks for the difficulty in the opportunity, and will come up with every reason under the sun for why you can’t do something.
But the reverse is also true.
We all know people who seem to think it’s National Happiness Day even when it’s Blue Monday.
These positive, self-actualised people believe they have choices and choose to exercise them frequently, especially on Blue Monday when the odds are against them.
Spend time with the first type of person, and you feel you’ll have to plug yourself into a wall socket to recharge your system. They drain your positivity battery quickly, if you choose to let them.
Spend time with the second group, and any bad day or attitude challenges you might be experiencing can soon be framed, contextualised and dealt with.
We all know individuals who fall into one of these camps. But the big question is which camp are you in?
THE EMOTIONAL VACUUM (THE EV)
Negative people are worse than negative experiences.
Why?
Because an experience can be over in ten minutes, but a negative person can hang around for a lifetime. I call these types of people ‘The EVs’, short for emotional vacuums. If this is you or the company you keep, is it time for a mindset reboot?
THE POSITIVITY MAGNET (THE PM)
I have a colleague who is a wonderful person with a great attitude, and as a result, she always seems to be the resident agony aunt for the people around her who turn to her to unload their woes. She’s so strong, considerate and resilient that they are drawn to her, and they draw their strength from her. But I have to caution her from time to time to be careful not to constantly give her energy away without getting a regular recharge.
If you’re this type of person, you still need a mindset reboot, but it’s an injection of positivity to keep your levels high.
‘As ye sow, so shall ye reap’
Let me share a story…
Suppose a farmer has a plot of good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice.
She can plant whatever she chooses. The land doesn’t care what is planted. It’s up to the farmer to make the decision.
But the land, just like your mind, will return what you plant.
Now let’s assume the farmer has two seeds in her hand: one of corn, the other of nightshade, a deadly poison.
She digs two holes in the earth, plants two seeds, covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land, nurturing them both.
What do you think will happen?
Invariably, the land will return what is planted. Remember, the land doesn’t care.
It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn.
So the two plants are cultivated: one helpful and constructive, the other destructive and deadly.
The human mind, your mindset, is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land.
Are you using it to its full potential? Are you planting the right seeds?
More on mindset…
Do you have an open or closed mindset?
Why happiness is not a destination… It’s a way of life
