{"id":45746,"title":"Blue Monday\u2026 and Its Sneaky September Cousin","description":"Blue Monday was born in 2005 from a travel company\u2019s marketing stunt.  They claimed they\u2019d found the \u201cmost depressing day of the year\u201d using a formula: bad weather, Christmas debt, failed resolutions, and low motivation = book a holiday.  Total pseudoscience, but it stuck because, well, January is a mood-killer","content":"<p>Blue Monday was born in 2005 from a travel company\u2019s marketing stunt. They claimed they\u2019d found the \u201cmost depressing day of the year\u201d using a formula: bad weather, Christmas debt, failed resolutions, and low motivation = book a holiday. Total pseudoscience, but it stuck because, well, January <em>is<\/em> a mood-killer. Dark mornings, post-Christmas bills, and abandoned resolutions don\u2019t exactly scream motivation.<\/p><p>But let\u2019s be real \u2014 doesn\u2019t September feel suspiciously similar? You\u2019re back from holiday, your inbox is a war zone, the tan fades faster than your will to attend another meeting, and suddenly you\u2019re pricing city breaks \u201cjust to cope.\u201d Call it Blue Monday\u2019s sneaky cousin.<\/p><p>So what do you do? Get daylight, move your body, tackle money stress head-on, and reframe those \u201cfailed\u201d resolutions as progress-in-disguise. Stay connected, add small joys (yes, biscuits count), and make your space cosy enough to trick yourself into liking it.<\/p><p>Whether it\u2019s January or September, remember this: Blue Monday might be marketing nonsense, but low motivation is real. You\u2019re not broken, you\u2019re just human. Keep it light, keep it moving, and don\u2019t give the blues free rent in your head.<\/p><h3><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/ltadwz890tvaz8aui5ltz8a9bo96ykgrndecortltcqpr4gw.png.png?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"ltadwz890tvaz8aui5ltz8a9bo96ykgrndecortltcqpr4gw.png.png?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/><\/h3>","urlTitle":"blue-monday","url":"\/blog\/blue-monday\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/blue-monday\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/thestroppycolleague.com\/blog\/blue-monday\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1737265689,"updatedAt":1757315669,"publishedAt":1757315669,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":292132,"name":"The Stroppy Colleague"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/3codjrftwloxz1uvmifsejs0tg917tyu08u6iv311vtujbrd.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/3codjrftwloxz1uvmifsejs0tg917tyu08u6iv311vtujbrd.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/3codjrftwloxz1uvmifsejs0tg917tyu08u6iv311vtujbrd.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"blue monday","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":51820,"title":"Shut the Door, Switch Off the Brain","url":"\/blog\/shut-the-door-switch-off-the-brain\/","urlTitle":"shut-the-door-switch-off-the-brain","division":292132,"description":"The working day ends, the laptop clicks shut, and yet\u2014your brain is still drafting emails you\u2019ll never send and replaying the moment Susan interrupted you for the fourth time in that meeting.  Charming. But here\u2019s the thing: you don\u2019t get paid to be haunted by colleagues after hours","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/czrddapouzrkojy3h9gws4dq5hawfk02bxisb6wwgs3cdqve.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/czrddapouzrkojy3h9gws4dq5hawfk02bxisb6wwgs3cdqve.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":55515,"title":"Some Books That Made Work Take Up Less Space in My Head","url":"\/blog\/some-books-that-made-work-take-up-less-space-in-my-head\/","urlTitle":"some-books-that-made-work-take-up-less-space-in-my-head","division":292132,"description":"Work has a habit of sticking around longer than it should. You finish for the day\u2026 and it\u2019s still there. Conversations replaying. Things you should have said. Things you probably shouldn\u2019t have said. Over time, I\u2019ve realised most of the effort isn\u2019t the job itself \u2014it\u2019s the thinking about it afterwards.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/7hwkoj67wqu168nxeiwmvrndg6vlluhiwwvhvpqedbbfhc7j.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/7hwkoj67wqu168nxeiwmvrndg6vlluhiwwvhvpqedbbfhc7j.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":52508,"title":"Monday Off, Bliss On","url":"\/blog\/the-stroppy-colleague-monday-off-bliss-on\/","urlTitle":"the-stroppy-colleague-monday-off-bliss-on","division":292132,"description":"There\u2019s something deliciously rebellious about having a Monday off, isn\u2019t there? When everyone else is trudging to their desks, wrestling with their inboxes, and pretending to be delighted by their Teams notifications \u2014 ping! \u2014 I\u2019m still in my dressing gown, sipping coffee that\u2019s gone cold but somehow still tastes like freedom. No meetings.  No \u201cquick calls","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/kd2dbojyby7ckd8gjknl7rkqefitwbilzaji0ej85yrtefxp.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/kd2dbojyby7ckd8gjknl7rkqefitwbilzaji0ej85yrtefxp.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}