– I AM SO CHEERFUL TODAY –
Everyone with an internet connection has probably noticed it: today is Blue Monday. Blue Monday was invented in 2005 by British psychologist Cliff Arnall. He came up with a kind of mathematical formula that calculated that the Monday of the last full week of January is the day when most people feel the most miserable. Holidays are over, good intentions have failed, bonuses have evaporated, and the days are cold and short. Indeed, not much reason to bounce around the house with excitement. So, if you are now sitting on the couch crying into your cat's fur with a tub of Ben & Jerry's, don't worry, Amayzine has advice. Here it goes:
- Whether your financial windfall is gone or doesn't exist at all, extensive shopping at net-a-porter.com is never financially responsible. So today, pretend that practical and uncomfortable matters like red numbers and bailiffs don't exist and create the perfect wardrobe, just in your shopping cart. Sit down comfortably, think about basics and party pieces, and click everything into your digital basket. Once you've put together the perfect wardrobe, you can just click everything away – as if nothing ever happened.
- One takes a couch, a blanket, a pot of tea (or a bottle of wine. Preferably a bottle of wine) and something to eat that makes you fat (cucumbers do not contribute to the intended festive joy). Then you put the last season of Sex And The City in your DVD player and prepare for 20 episodes of classics like “I fell in Dior” and “Go get our girl.” Yours truly watched that particular episode last weekend and the tears immediately shot out of my head. In a good way, I mean, in a good way.
- Turn your favorite music up really loud, put your phone away, and close the curtains. Gather all your finest beauty products and give yourself an extensive spa treatment. Think about shaving everything smooth, lots of lather with shower gel, slathering yourself from head to toe with body lotion (I always do that with Dove Visible Effects. I'm not getting a euro to write this, so honestly, that stuff is the absolute best) and go wild with scrubs and peels or whatever. Fresh, clean, goodbye Blue Monday.
- Make yourself happy with something very decadent that you normally would never do, and certainly not on a Monday night. Buy a bottle of champagne, order oysters, a very expensive wine, or something else that is normally only done on very special occasions. Special smecial and these kinds of days scream for irresponsible splurges.
- A study (from Dutch soil) shows that planning a trip leads to a significant peak in your happiness. The test subjects indicated that they were happiest during the preparation of the vacation and remarkably not after the vacation. So go ahead and dive into Tripadvisor, Booking.com, or Airbnb and put together your ideal vacation. If science says that it works, then it is so.
- You have to be a bit of an animal lover, but for many, there is little more endearing than cute baby animals. Open youtube.com, search for keywords like ‘cute kittens,’ ‘cute baby animals’ and more like that and “ooh” and “aaah” yourself to ultimate happiness. As a somewhat manic cat lover, I belong this, or this and this absolutely to my favorites. Oh and this actually also.
- If you've made it through the day and it's bedtime, tackle that thoroughly. Change your sheets, make your bed tight, put some fresh flowers in the bedroom, and air the place out before you lie down. A clean fresh bed works wonders for your sleep, and then tomorrow when you wake up, there will be no sign of that whole Blue Monday.
By the way, these tips are also great to use during hungover days, moody mornings, broken hearts, or other woes. That will teach Arnall a thing or two.
