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15.1.07

Beat the Blue Monday blues

Watch out for Monday, January 22 – the most depressing day of the year. This year at GREEN we are planning to beat the Blue Monday Blues with a one-off campaign in support of the Samaritans.
Blue Monday, ‘the worst day of the year’, was first defined by Dr Cliff Arnall of Cardiff University and marks the final full week of January when people experience a series of combined depressive effects.
To help people tackle the blues and stay smiling on Blue Monday we are inviting people to get involved in a range of activities that are taking place across the UK. These include:
World’s biggest beach party - Companies across the UK are being encouraged to bring some sunshine to Blue Monday by turning their office into a beach in an attempt to break the record for the world’s biggest beach party. Firm’s taking part are also urged to help raise funds for Samaritans.
De-stress with a cuppa - Samaritans volunteers will be on-hand at London’s Victoria station during rush-hour handing out packets of Yorkshire Tea and advice on de-stressing to commuters.
Single launch – Soul 12-piece This is Seb Clarke will be performing their new single, ‘Just Can’t Carry On’, and talking about beating depression on BBC Radio 2’s Aled Jones show on Sunday 21 January 2007.
Over at GREEN’s we plan to re-brand for the day to BLUE Communications and we will brighten up the day will be turning our ground floor into a beach complete with deckchairs and sand.
One of our clients, Yorkshire Housing Group, will be handing out Positive Social Behaviour Orders (PoSBOs) rather than ASBOs to young people from across the region to reward them for their efforts to make local communities happier and friendlier.
Another client, Greens Health & Fitness in Wakefield will be running fitness classes to help the public feel good on Blue Monday. They will be offering blue health drinks with 50% of the proceeds going to charity and running a prize draw to win two one-month membership passes.
Blue Monday was devised using the following mathematical equation:


[W + (D-d)] x TQ
M x NA


The model was broken down using 6 immediately identifiable factors; weather (W), debt (d), time since Christmas (T), time since failing our new year’s resolutions (Q), low motivational levels (M) and the feeling of a need to take action (Na).
The equation calculates that Monday, January 22 is officially the worst day of the year, when the Christmas glow has faded away, New Year’s resolutions have been broken, cold winter weather has set in and credit card bills will be landing on doormats across the land – whilst the January pay-cheque is still one week away.

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