Ignore Blue Monday, Try this instead

Happiness levels dropping in January? Time to wheel out the Happiness Ambassador. Amy shares one top tip for a more magical, mindful start to the year.

It’s Plough Monday, traditionally marking the start of the agricultural calendar and (unlike “Blue Monday”) something to be welcomed and celebrated.

Plough Monday had its own set of customs intended to honour the time to up tools again after the festive period. These might have included music, dancing, bright colours and most of all, shared hopes for a fruitful year ahead.

They did not include impulsive online shopping at midnight for a hit of dopamine. (Yesterday my confused husband took delivery of two olive trees which were last week’s wistful purchase. I know full well that having two olive trees on my porch will not make Bolton feel like the Mediterranean, but buying them felt good at the time.)

At Boo we might not subscribe to the idea of Blue Monday, but we know January still remains a month that can be difficult for lots of people.

One way to help boost your mood in a January is to proactively notice glimmers – things that lift your spirits. Little things are best, not as much booking your summer holiday but more appreciating a hot drink after coming in from the cold. I’m writing down one glimmer a day. ✨

Last week I mentioned a stream on our school run had burst its banks; on our way past we’d shifted a few stones to start damming it. My glimmer for today is noticing that more people have been adding stones – big and small – and the water is contained once again.

The biggest glimmer of my weekend was an encounter with a confident robin. Robins go against the grain by really putting themselves out there in January. Flitting about with their music and their bright colours and their hopes for a fruitful year ahead…

Ignore Blue Monday, Try this instead