Some Comfort for Blue Monday

sending hugs on the most depressing day of the year

Hello!

It may come as a surprise to you (but probably not) that the third Monday in January is recognized as “Blue Monday,” the most depressing day of the year. If you’re feeling a bit down today, can I just send you a hug from my computer and let you know that you’re seen?

Your story isn’t over. Neither of us have imaginations big enough to think of all the ways that the hard parts of your story can be used for good.

You won’t feel like this forever. The whiplash from Christmas comfort to New Year’s get-your-act-together (plus crummy weather and a hemorrhaging bank account 😬) are all fighting against you, along with whatever else you have going on in your life. Take some time to acknowledge that. January can be hard.

I hope you take a moment to give yourself some grace today. We are so blessed to have what we do in modern society, but there are so many complications with technology, insane schedules and expectations, the isolation of nuclear families, and even super-accurate mirrors 😳 that affect us in more ways than we realize.

You don’t have to compare suffering or beat yourself up for not being as tough as people were in previous generations. Life is hard. You’re not alone.

You do have real people in your life who care about you, who can give you real hugs. You mean more to them than you might think. They might be old, they might live somewhere different, but there is someone you can reach out to who cares.

My inbox is always open, too ❤️

Here are a few quick things that might be of some helpful for you, too:

• What are some comforting truths that you can remind yourself of when you’re feeling down? Have a short list that is easily accessible. (I shared mine, which are faith-based, on my personal blog.)

• I highly recommend the novel The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. It’s a creative, adventurous, funny, hope-filled story about a relatably discouraged woman who wanted to give up but had the opportunity to try out all the different paths her life could have taken. “She learned that undoing regrets was a way of making wishes come true.” 🤯 (There is some language and adult content.)

  

• Spend time outside during golden hour (the hour before sunset) as much as you can. It makes life feel more enchanting.

• Some other comforting posts we’ve shared: A Letter to the Burnt Out, A Letter to the Failing, To the Person Who Feels ‘Less Than’, To the Neurodivergent Mom, To the Person Who Struggles With Self-Care, To the Underappreciated Mothers, To the Unappreciated Dads, and To The Person Who Feels Unsupported. There are more in the archives, too; the whole theme for the month of August was self-care!

Hang in there, friend. You’re more loved than you could dream.

Warmly,

Hope from Family Scripts