In recent years, the third Monday of January has earned itself the title of "Blue Monday," as it's considered the most depressing day of the year. Holiday excitement has faded, the winter weather feels relentless, and the resolutions we made with so much enthusiasm start to lose their shine. It’s a recipe for a slump: lingering fatigue from holiday indulgences and the dreary days of limited sunlight can leave us feeling low.
But it’s not all gloom and doom – Blue Monday is just another winter day, and there are plenty of ways to brighten it up. Mental health experts remind us that small joys, like meeting up with friends or indulging in a favorite treat, can give your mood a much-needed lift. Adding to the silver lining, retailers worldwide are prepared with special Blue Monday promotions and winter sales, offering the perfect chance to snag fantastic deals.
With your forward2me shipping addresses, you can access exclusive discounts from global retailers and even combine packages to save more. Blue Monday might just become your favorite day for shopping and self-care with these deals.
Falling on the third Monday of January, Blue Monday is often called the most depressing day of the year. In 2025, this date lands on January 20. It’s the point when post-holiday blues and the fatigue of the festive season start to weigh heavily. Holiday bills arrive, the weather remains cold and gloomy, and the next major holiday – Valentine’s Day – feels far away on the horizon. Adding to the mix, research shows that many people abandon their New Year’s resolutions around this time – an event sometimes referred to as “Quitter’s Day.”
Blue Monday first emerged in 2005 as part of a promotional campaign by the now-defunct UK TV channel, Sky Travel. The channel announced, with the backing of a psychologist, that it had calculated the most miserable day of the year – a day when people were at their lowest and most likely to book a holiday to escape the gloom.
This "most depressing day" was devised using a formula created by UK-based psychologist Cliff Arnall. The formula factored in elements like the weather, debt levels, and time elapsed since Christmas, aiming to pinpoint when people would feel the strongest urge to plan a getaway. Arnall was tasked with identifying the ideal day for booking holidays, which led him to consider the reasons people might crave an escape – and thus, Blue Monday was born.
Arnall’s formula, written as [W+(D-d)]xTQ/MxNA, appears complex at first glance. However, its components - like W for weather, D for debt, d for monthly salary, T for time since Christmas, and Q for time since abandoning New Year's resolutions – are highly subjective and lack scientific rigor. Despite its shaky foundations, the idea of Blue Monday has endured, becoming a fixture in popular culture.
Critics argue that the idea of "Blue Monday" oversimplifies and trivializes mental health by attributing clinical depression to superficial external factors – like the number of days since Christmas – and suggesting it can be remedied as easily as booking a vacation to a sunny destination.
What’s more grounded in reality is the phenomenon of the "winter blues," clinically known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is a form of depression that typically affects individuals during the fall and winter months, when shorter days and reduced sunlight impact mood and energy levels. In the US, January and February are often the toughest months for those with SAD, but symptoms tend to improve with the return of longer, sunnier days in spring.
Although its origin is rooted in marketing, Blue Monday is not a shopping event itself like Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Still, many hotels and travel agencies offer special Blue Monday deals, as people tend to book more vacations on this day. And since shopping therapy is a thing, many retailers are also launching campaigns so if you’re looking for a good deal, here are a few suggestions from UK retailers that can make a gloomy Monday brighter.
For example, Spar stores in Scotland transformed Blue Monday into "Brew Monday" by offering triple loyalty stamps on Barista Bar hot drinks in over 100 stores, while Fitness First rebranded the day as "Red Monday," inviting members and non-members to enjoy gym facilities and classes for free. If you feel like treating yourself or finally committing to a New Year’s resolution, here are some shopping suggestions for winter sales in the UK to chase the blues away.
Blue Monday often coincides with Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day) in the United States because both occur on the third Monday of January. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the US, honoring the civil rights leader's legacy, and is celebrated with service, reflection, and community events.
While MLK Day is dedicated to celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., like most holiday weekends, it's also a time when retailers take advantage of the slower shopping season to offer sales. Many US stores host special promotions, making it a great opportunity to score some deals – whether you’re shopping for necessities or treating yourself. So, while the day holds deep significance, it’s also worth checking out the discounts that can help you save.
This year, Blue Monday in the UK and MLK Day in the US bring a host of exciting deals across fashion, electronics, home goods, and more. UK retailers are offering discounts on cozy winter essentials and self-care products to beat the winter blues, while US stores feature MLK Day sales on everything from appliances to apparel. Shoppers worldwide can access these savings by signing up with forward2me for a free forwarding address, making it easy to snag deals from both sides of the Atlantic and have them shipped directly to your doorstep.
