Why so blue?

We’re about to drop a truth bomb here…

Blue Monday is a PR built ‘formula’ coined by a travel company to encourage people to book January holidays. Yep. The formula - [W+(D-d)]xTq/MxNa - calculates when we are most likely to feel at our lowest. The calculation factors in:

W = Weather
D = Debt
d = Monthly salary
T = Time since Christmas
Q = Time since failing our New Year's resolutions
M = Low motivation levels
Na = The feeling of needing to take action

The bluest day of the year takes place on the third Monday of January. In 2023, that makes Blue Monday 16th January.

Debunking Blue Monday

There is no recorded data to say this formula is scientifically true. Who is to say there is one day of the year we should all feel ‘bad’ or ‘low’? That said, we would like to think it allows people to open up and be transparent about their worries, difficult thoughts or feelings when it’s needed.

In the case that you or someone you know is struggling with low mood this January, there are a number of services and resources available to support you and research has taught us there are things we can all do for ourselves. When your mind is telling you it’s tired, why not move your body; and when your body is telling you it's tired, slow down and challenge your mind instead.

Mind: Meditate, read a book or journal your thoughts
Body: Exercise, go for a walk, stretch and recover

Low mood and the effects this can have on our skin

Things like work stress, relationship strains and financial worry can affect our quality of sleep, our motivation and over time could mean we start to deprioritise our self care. You may find your skin looking unlike its usual self. Skin can get stressed out too - and tired - which can often result in dry skin or breakouts… (not just for teens!) It’s all linked to the hormonal imbalances that low mood, stress and anxiety can bring on.

In more serious cases, long term stresses can actually reveal or even exacerbate a number of inflammatory skin challenges like psoriasis, rosacea and acne. Renude’s aestheticians can really step in here to help – and where skin conditions require prescriptive or medical attention we will direct you to a medical professional.

Looking after your whole skin-self

From our point of view, adding a skincare routine into our everyday life is healthy not only for our skin, but for our overall well being. Just like making the bed in the morning, a skincare routine puts you in the right frame of mind, eliminates procrastination and puts you in control of your day. More importantly, a dedicated and personal skincare routine, created for you by aestheticians means you’re getting the exact ingredients your skin needs to build up its skin barrier strength.

We want you to love being in your bare skin and understand that your skin health is part of your overall health and wellbeing. Take our skin health quiz as a first step in receiving your personal routine and even book in to speak to one of our aestheticians at a time that suits you.

Useful Links

Mind Mental Health Organisation
Samaritans
Calm