Every year, like clockwork, the same tired script starts playing. We are barely a week into January, and already the airwaves and social feeds are heavy with talk of “Blue Monday,” empty bank accounts, and the supposed misery of mid-winter.
Marketing departments love to tell us how “depressing” this month is because it makes us easier to sell to. If they can convince you that you’re broke, tired, and unmotivated, they can sell you the quick fix.
But here is the truth, January is only as heavy as the rhetoric we choose to believe.
The Myth of “Blue Monday”
The idea that there is a “most depressing day of the year” wasn’t discovered by scientists or psychologists. It was cooked up by a travel company years ago to sell summer holidays. It is a manufactured concept designed to make you feel a void that only spending money can fill.
When we buy into the idea that January is a month of endurance rather than a month of opportunity, we give away our agency. We start waiting for February or March to feel “normal” again, effectively writing off 8% of our year before it has even started.
Tuning Out the Financial Noise
There is also a significant amount of noise regarding finances this time of year. While being mindful of spending is wise, the constant narrative of “January being the longest month for your wallet” creates a scarcity mindset.
Instead of focusing on what is missing or how long it is until payday, I am choosing to focus on the luxury of a fresh start. We don’t need to join the chorus of people complaining about being “skint.” We can acknowledge our budgets without making “broke” our entire personality for thirty-one days.
Setting Your Own Pace
The “New Year, New You” pressure is just the other side of the same coin. It suggests that who you were in December wasn’t good enough.
I’m ignoring the marketing that says I need to be a different person by next Tuesday. January should be about setting a sustainable pace, not sprinting out of the blocks because a calendar told you to. It is a month for quiet planning, for reclaiming your schedule, and for deciding which goals actually matter to you versus which ones were suggested to you by an Instagram ad.
The Bottom Line
If you stop looking for the gloom, you’ll realise January is actually quite a peaceful time.
The social calendar is thinner, the evenings are perfect for catching up on rest, and there is a specific kind of clarity that comes with a new season.
Let’s stop participating in the collective moan. Turn off the negative rhetoric, ignore the “Blue Monday” headlines, and decide for yourself how this month is going to feel.
RESOURCES AND NEXT STEPS
If you’re looking for more support and guidance, here are some valuable resources:
- Book a conversation to see how we can help you with your2026 plans HERE.
- Use our Flip The Thinking Tool Kit. Use our Flip The Thinking Tool kit HERE and share it with people around you. See how it helps you enrich the connection and conversation.
- Follow along on LinkedIn HERE
- Find out more about our women’s leadership programme HERE