The first moments of the year saw all eyes trained on central London, with the bongs of Big Ben being followed by the now traditional fireworks and light display drones. But amid all the cries of “Happy New Year”, many will be feeling anything but cheerful – and some will be heading for local therapy rooms this month.
Indeed, while many will approach a new year with a feeling of optimism, either because they want to build on a good 2023 or had a tough year but believe that 2024 can be far better, others will see things differently. Not for them the aspiration and enthusiasm that accompanies New Year resolutions; instead there can be fear and foreboding.
That might be seen by some as contributing to a gloomy mood in January, although it may equally reflect a legacy of how one felt at the end of last year. But there is a popular theory that the first month of the year is a particularly grim time.
Reasons for this include the lack of anything exciting to look forward to after Christmas, the dark and cold days without sparkly lights to brighten them up, financial strains after heavy Christmas spending and even the lack of comfort food when embarking on a New Year health drive after lots of festive indulgence.
This combination of mood-crushing factors is supposed to reach its nadir on ‘Blue Monday’, the third Monday of January. But is this real, or a myth?
A simple answer regarding Blue Monday itself is that it is a myth. It was devised in 2005 by a psychologist, Cliff Arnall, but it was not done as an academic exercise; Mr Arnall was a hired gun working for marketers selling holidays, promising brighter times ahead for those booking sun-filled getaways to look forward to.
However, like so many myths, this one has grown legs, being promoted on social media and often used by other marketers with similar promises in mind; buy or book with us and there will be much to look forward to.
If Blue Monday itself is a myth, however, that does not mean the New Year won’t bring gloom for many people.
Firstly, factors like the legacy of a bad previous year or financial strains can be significant. In addition, a lot of people will find their mood is generally poorer in winter, the worst affected being sufferers from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. Symptoms can include depression, anxiety, sleep problems, lack of energy and low sex drive.
If you are feeling down in January, the question of how much therapy can help you may depend on the root causes of your issues.
If, for instance, SAD can be identified as a major factor, it may be wise to take some direct steps to address that first. This could include taking sunshine holidays in winter rather than summer, while antidepressants can help.
Nonetheless, there are many treatments therapists can offer, such as counselling and talking therapies. This is important to note because SAD is not a stand-alone condition; it can be made considerably more severe if other factors are negatively impacting your mental health.
The same can be the case when other causes are involved. For instance, getting direct help with debts can ease your money worries, but there may be psychological factors at play impacting financial problems, such as depression preventing you from impressing at job interviews, or a habit of buying things you don’t really need to cheer yourself up.
If your psychological issues in the New Year stem from having had a tough time in 2023, it is important to get to the root of this too.
Some of this may lie in causes beyond your control, such as redundancy or bereavement. The latter can sometimes be made worse by unhappy family reunions or disputes over inheritance (especially if someone dies intestate).
Even so, therapy to help you deal with such blows can make a big difference to the prospects of you bouncing back, with an optimistic attitude that 2024 will be a better year.
Of course, it could be that a whole range of different factors may have hit you at once. For example, you may be a SAD sufferer who suffered a bereavement in late 2023 and had to spend money you could ill afford to meet the funeral costs, piling up the problems.
If it is a multi-causal situation that means you start 2024 feeling very down for a multitude of reasons (not least because such circumstances can make it feel like the whole world is collapsing around you), it can be very easy to despair. But that is where therapy can be beneficial.
Firstly, by seeing a therapist you can talk through the various issues and break them down, understanding them as individual things that, while they can combine to make matters very hard, are separate things and not part of some great calamity destined to overwhelm your life.
By doing this, you can clear the ground to take a more positive view of each of these issues, getting practical help or taking proactive steps to address things one by one.
All this may bring us back to the question of New Year resolutions. For some, this can be an effective way of making a significant lifestyle change. But for those struggling with poor mental health, it can be counter-productive, creating an unwelcome extra burden and potentially setting up a failure that can make you feel worse about yourself and your life.
For that reason, it may be the best resolution you can make is to seek help. Whatever underlies your feelings of depression, anxiety, fear, stress, or other mental health issues, there are people who can help with counselling and a range of different therapies.
For that reason, before you plan any grand ideas for 2024, the best resolution you can make, perhaps in your whole lifetime, is to ensure your mental health gets the care it deserves. If you can make real progress on that, you will take the biggest steps possible to make this year far better than last.
