"Blue Monday' is the third Monday in January. It is gloomy, dark, and allegedly the most depressing day of the year. Blue Monday comes after the Christmas festivities have ended, it is a long time until Spring, and typically people feel rather low on what is often a cold, grey day. Yet despite our increasingly lengthy winters, most people tend to wear dark clothes, especially to work.'

That statement comes from charity Mental Health Research UK. And they'd like us to help do something different this Monday. Here's their request:

'The concept of the campaign is simple; we ask everyone to wear their brightest clothes that day. Even if workplaces usually require sombre attire, we hope that on this one day a year employees will be encouraged to brighten up. We hope to make a big visual impact on Blue Monday each year by injecting some unexpected colour and joy. In 2014 the date is 20 January - please put it in your diaries! Instead of Blue Monday, it will become Blooming Monday! Ditch the greys and drab attire - wear bright clothes for charity on Blue Monday!'

A recurring theme in these Moodscope Blogs is the power of simply (!) getting up, showered and properly dressed. Maybe we could add that wearing clothes with colour has a more positive effect on our mental well-being than wearing neutrals or drab colours. We may not necessarily feel like putting on that red sweater (now where was that grey hoodie again?) but it may lift our spirits once we are wearing it.

How often do we wear our favourite colour? Now, please, I don't mean black, but your favourite colour from when you were a young child: bright blue, scarlet, emerald green or buttercup yellow? Do you actually own any clothes in that colour? We should wear the clothes that make us feel good more often.

So if the parcel delivery man tells you about this weird woman who opened the door to him in full evening dress at eleven in the morning – you'll know it was me, wearing my bright pink ball gown!

If you would like to support the work of Mental Health Research UK by wearing bright clothes on Monday 20th, then go to http://tinyurl.com/bjt55sz for more details.

Action for happiness are also marking this day and have rebranded it 'Happy Monday'. They have ten excellent ways in which you can improve your happiness by modifying your attitudes and choices. Take a look: http://tinyurl.com/o9geoe7.

Mary

A Moodscope user.