Did you wake up this morning flooded with anxiety and dread? You can't put your finger on it, but your heart hurts. Like, it literally hearts in your chest and it's not because you're sick. Friend, if you can just hold on until next Sunday, things will feel so much better than they do at this very minute.

Today, January 21, 2019, is known as 'Blue Monday,' the 'most depressing day of the year.' This date was determined by  Cliff Arnall, of Cardiff University who factored in all sorts of things and came to a calculated conclusion that the third Monday of January is the most depressing day of the year.

What is it that makes the third Monday of January such a brutal day for so many of us? By now, the "holiday glow" is over. The weather isn't super awesome. Nighttime rolls in around 5 p.m. Vacation is too far away for us to really look forward to, and there's a really good chance we've already failed on keeping our New Year's resolutions.

Keep in mind that the very worst thing you can do today (and this whole 'Blue Monday' week) is to buy into the negativity. Instead of focusing your thoughts on all of the depressing things going on in your life right now, try lifting your mood by walking while it's light out, and definitely, munch on some fruit. Doing both of those things will help keep depression at bay.

If you really want to take control of this day and this entire week, you might want to think about showing kindness to someone else. Actually, there's a whole movement to get people to spread kindness to others on 'Blue Monday' and during the week of 'Blue Monday' as a way to acknowledge that we're all in this crazy thing called life together.

If you're gripped with depression that you just can't shake and you feel like there's nobody you can talk to, text “GO” TO 741741 to talk to a trained counselor any time of the day or night.

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