Beat January 18, ‘most depressing day of year’ with happiness, says shrink

LONDON - The psychologist, who dubbed the third Monday in January, as the most depressing day of the year has called for the idea to be refuted and is urging people to look for happiness instead.

Cliff Arnall, from Brecon, Wales, identified January 18 as the most miserable date in the calendar for Britons, with the help of a pseudo-mathematical formula involving the weather, debt, motivational levels and time elapsed since Christmas.

“I was originally asked to come up with what I thought was the best day to book a summer holiday but when I started thinking about the motives for booking a holiday, reflecting on what thousands had told me during stress management or happiness workshops, there were these factors that pointed to the third Monday in January as being particularly depressing … but it is not particularly helpful to put that out there and say ‘there you are’ … it is almost a self-fulfilling prophecy that it is the most depressing day,” the Telegraph quoted him as saying.

The self-styled ‘freelance happiness guru’, also a member of the British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis, is now encouraging people to “refute the whole notion” and use Monday January 18 to “get a bit of perspective” about their lives.

He added: “I’m pleased about the impact it if it means people are talking about depression and how they feel but I’m also encouraging people to refute the whole notion of there being a most depressing day and to use the day as a springboard for the things that really matter in your life.

“I see a lot of clients who are just fed up with materialistic lives, trying to play catch-up with your neighbours and forgetting what the important things are.” (ANI)