Most Depressing Day Of The Year
- Author Louise Weston
- Published April 16, 2010
- Word count 653
This year, Monday, 19th January is officially pronounced to be the "most depressing day of the year," according to psychological research. Dr. Cliff Arnall's, who specializes in seasonal disorders at the University of Cardiff, Wales, created a formula that takes into account numerous feelings to devise peoples' lowest point.
Arnall found that, while days technically get longer after Dec. 21, cyclonic weather systems take hold in January, bringing low, dark clouds to Britain. Meanwhile, the majority of people break their healthy resolutions six to seven days into the New Year, and even the hangers-on have fallen off the wagon, torn off the nicotine patches and eaten the fridge empty by the third week. Any residual dregs of holiday cheer and family fun have finally kicked the bucket by the beginning of the third week in January. This year with the gloomy economic climate, it is likely to be more depressing than ever.
How can psychology help to beat the blues?
Happiness and psychological well being are now serious areas of psychological research. Positive emotions have been linked to increased well being and engagement at work, and engagement at work linked to profitability, productivity, turnover, and customer satisfaction.
There are a number of techniques and exercises which can be used to promote optimism and life satisfaction. Many work by encouraging us to break our habitual negative thinking patterns and concentrate on the positive.
Most people spend more time focused on what has, or will, go wrong, than they do thinking about what has gone right for them. We remember failures and things we have not been able to complete more easily than we remember success (this is called the Zeigarnick effect). I bet you can remember the last rude/mean/nasty thing that was said to you more easily than you can remember your last compliment!
Critically it is this thinking style can minimize life satisfaction and increase anxiety and depression. By challenging this thinking style, we can reverse the trend!
Exercise to beat the January blues
As many of us have heard from our parent we should ‘count our blessings’ this exercise helps us do just that. Martin Seligman and others have devised and used a simple technique to address this, called the three blessings exercise.
Step one
Every night before you go to bed, write down three positive events from your day. These can be things that went well, nice things that happened to you, or just things that you felt good about. They can either be small and run of the mill – "my boyfriend put the heating so that it was warm when I woke up", or more important – "my mum’s cancer scare turned out to be a false alarm."
Step two
For each positive event, think about why it happened. For example, did your boyfriend turn the heating on because he really loves you and wants to make sure you are comfortable, or did he do it because you reminded him that you would be getting up later than usual?
Step three
Once you have your list, chose one positive event you would like to dream about. Research shows that positive dreams increase life satisfaction and consolidate the memories of good events, so it is worth the effort to try to influence your dream content.
Doing the following will increase your chances of having a positive dream:
-
Give the positive event a name (e.g., "my healthy mum").
-
Visualise it.
-
As you go to sleep, say the name over and over, visualise it, and intend to dream about it.
You might not be successful first time. Influencing your dream can take practice. However, even without influencing your dream, research shows that people who write down every day all the things for which they were grateful, are not only happier than others, but are also more likely to take exercise, get regular health checks and are more energetic, enthusiastic and alert.
This article was written by Louise Weston from Business Psychology company Pearn Kandola. For more of Louise’s writing please visit the Pearn Kandola blog.
Article source: https://articlebiz.comRate article
Article comments
There are no posted comments.
Related articles
- The Transformative Power of Yamaigel’s Certified Gel Eye Masks
- Checking account with cell phone protection!
- Keeping Cool This Summer: Air Conditioning Installation Services in Milwaukee
- A DIY Guide to Fixing Your Garage Door (with a Call to Garage Door Magnolia When All Else Fails!)
- Can a Bent Garage Door Be Bent Back into Shape? Don't Panic, Call Kiki Garage Door!
- How Can I Tell If My Garage Door Opener Sensor Is Bad?
- Maximizing Profitability: The Economics Behind Customizable Design Assets
- Exploring the Hidden Gems of Si Racha, Thailand
- DIY vs. Professional Movers: Pros and Cons in 2024
- MK Web Celebrates Top Position in Bourne's Premier Web Design Rankings
- The Road to Sobriety: Understanding Substance Use Disorders
- MotorKote Ultimate 40/60 Synthetic Hyper Mix 5W-30
- Exploring Denver on a Dime: A Frugal Travel Guide
- Top 10 Ways Production Scheduling in Business Central Transforms Manufacturing
- Strength Training and it's Incredible Benefits for Fat Burning
- Enhancing Home Security with Aluminum Shutters: A Focus on Weatherwell Elite
- 5 Easy Ways to Make Oral Hygiene Fun for the Whole Family
- Transforming Plastic Extrusion Machines into Recycling Powerhouses
- Unraveling the Potential of Plastic Extrusion Machines
- The Rise of Plastic Recycling Machines: A Step Towards Sustainability
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream: OMG! Unreal!
- The Advantages of Using Professional Home Cleaners in Ilford
- 8 Compelling Reasons to Hire Professional Home Cleaners
- The 12 Steps Narcotics Anonymous Program To Recovery
- Send Money to Tanzania: Effortless Transfers with SafariRemit
- Stylish Savings: 10 Frugal Ways to Stay Fashionable in 2024
- Fly Cheap With FlightPapa To Any City
- How Collaborating with a Software Development Company Can Propel Your Business Forward
- A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Best Hair Transplant Method
- 15 Frugal Tips for a Memorable Wedding Day