The Bluest Day of the Year
A friend just told me that the Monday of the Martin Luther King holiday is considered the "bluest" day of the year.
More people are sad and depressed this day than any other single day.
It outpaces the Christmas holidays for this, and that took me by surprise.
While there are several causes, most of them can be remedied by the individual if there is the desire and the motivation.
The first disastrous situation is the failing of resolutions.
The new year started with dedication to healthy diet and exercise.
Kind words to former enemies were extolled at every point possible.
The house was clean and the refrigerator cleansed of gunk and junk.
Stashed credit cards meant no more excess spending.
Then the tires blew a flat, the driveline dropped, and the wheels shot off the bus.
Milkshakes replaced herbal tea, the swimming routine transformed into a splash in the tub.
Enemies rarely change, even under a barrage of the nicest greetings, dirt piles and take-out food stacks.
And while the credit cards remained hidden from view, the December extravaganza of buying translated into large, multi-digit numbers as page after page of charge statements landed on screen or in the box.
Resolutions, stated with determined forcefulness crashed and so did that happy spirit.
Dreamland of perfection converted into reality.
All of the promises and pledges vanished, swapped for guilty and a negative attitude.
Two pieces of good news are represented here: the allegedly evil Monday is but one day and all of these resolutions are renewable.
If you care enough and have adequate fortitude, strength can flood in to instill resolve and grit.
First comes your diet.
Evaluate whether it was doable and viable to begin with.
Starvation rarely works out and being hungry all of the time is enough to make anyone grouchy and irritable.
This leads to binging, so while you maintained healthy habits Monday through Friday, Saturday and Sunday wrought hunks of havoc.
Chips, brats, beers, chocolate - all of these marched you toward catastrophe.
Expunge them yet again and then download a daily, weekly, monthly menu.
Highlight what you love as you scratch out foods that guide you toward junk and exchange them for healthy items that also satisfy.
Work on your mental attitude as you examine why you eat poorly and in a dysfunctional manner.
Vow to remedy these now.
Exercise, naturally, is the next resolution fix.
If the gym stinks and makes your heart sink, why do you pay the fee and then refuse to attend? A stroll in the park, a bike-ride to work, ice skating in the local rink, and jazz dancing are excellent ways to increase physical power and endurance and still have fun.
Once you discover your love, mark it on your calendar and establish the daily time for this every day, I repeat, every day, routine.
Now each morning as your toes grip the floor, you can glance up and see: Saturday: peaches and oatmeal for breakfast followed by a saunter through the zoo.
Enriching, empowering, rewarding! Maybe your kind words fell on deaf ears, so to speak, and so while you tried your best to be uplifting, the drag of downer co-workers is exhausting.
Keep that smile as you jot down what is in your control and that which is not.
You can be joyous and dedicated to your work but it is impossible to adjust the attitude of others through cajoling and simple persuasion.
You just have to look ahead, continue to work hard hoping your example rubs off, and "fill up your love bucket" as my mom used to say, with confident, affirmative behavior.
If this does not succeed it must be time to brush off your resume and make a change that will lighten and brighten your life.
Maybe hiring a housekeeper is just the ticket.
Even once a week or once every other week decreases the grind of the cleaning load.
Delegate duties and then grin when they are completed, even though not exactly to your specifications.
Helping others help you means standing back and accepting methods and modes that are not your own.
Throw out or box stuff, clothes, rags, pans, towels, magazines, and rotten cabbage.
Why drive yourself nuts with mountains of muck when resolution is at hand.
Absolutely, positively do not place these in the garage or rent a storage shed.
Out of sight, out of mind means a mess to surmount later on.
As for credit card bills, those are a real Marshmallow Test.
Just as in the work of Walter Mischel who studied children and delayed gratification, you must buck up.
You just have to say, "No!" loud and clear.
No new shoes or purse, no new car or charged vacations.
Earn and save, purchase with cash, fight the urge for a new coat now and trade that desire for a new swimsuit in March as you continue your daily swimming routine.
Willpower is self-driven when you firmly sit your seat behind the wheel, hands firmly grasped, and eyes straight ahead.
You can do it! Resolutions require muscle and might coupled with true grit but the dividends are enormous.
The bluest day of the year can transform to jade or lime, fuchsia or pink.
Rosy results are within reach.
More people are sad and depressed this day than any other single day.
It outpaces the Christmas holidays for this, and that took me by surprise.
While there are several causes, most of them can be remedied by the individual if there is the desire and the motivation.
The first disastrous situation is the failing of resolutions.
The new year started with dedication to healthy diet and exercise.
Kind words to former enemies were extolled at every point possible.
The house was clean and the refrigerator cleansed of gunk and junk.
Stashed credit cards meant no more excess spending.
Then the tires blew a flat, the driveline dropped, and the wheels shot off the bus.
Milkshakes replaced herbal tea, the swimming routine transformed into a splash in the tub.
Enemies rarely change, even under a barrage of the nicest greetings, dirt piles and take-out food stacks.
And while the credit cards remained hidden from view, the December extravaganza of buying translated into large, multi-digit numbers as page after page of charge statements landed on screen or in the box.
Resolutions, stated with determined forcefulness crashed and so did that happy spirit.
Dreamland of perfection converted into reality.
All of the promises and pledges vanished, swapped for guilty and a negative attitude.
Two pieces of good news are represented here: the allegedly evil Monday is but one day and all of these resolutions are renewable.
If you care enough and have adequate fortitude, strength can flood in to instill resolve and grit.
First comes your diet.
Evaluate whether it was doable and viable to begin with.
Starvation rarely works out and being hungry all of the time is enough to make anyone grouchy and irritable.
This leads to binging, so while you maintained healthy habits Monday through Friday, Saturday and Sunday wrought hunks of havoc.
Chips, brats, beers, chocolate - all of these marched you toward catastrophe.
Expunge them yet again and then download a daily, weekly, monthly menu.
Highlight what you love as you scratch out foods that guide you toward junk and exchange them for healthy items that also satisfy.
Work on your mental attitude as you examine why you eat poorly and in a dysfunctional manner.
Vow to remedy these now.
Exercise, naturally, is the next resolution fix.
If the gym stinks and makes your heart sink, why do you pay the fee and then refuse to attend? A stroll in the park, a bike-ride to work, ice skating in the local rink, and jazz dancing are excellent ways to increase physical power and endurance and still have fun.
Once you discover your love, mark it on your calendar and establish the daily time for this every day, I repeat, every day, routine.
Now each morning as your toes grip the floor, you can glance up and see: Saturday: peaches and oatmeal for breakfast followed by a saunter through the zoo.
Enriching, empowering, rewarding! Maybe your kind words fell on deaf ears, so to speak, and so while you tried your best to be uplifting, the drag of downer co-workers is exhausting.
Keep that smile as you jot down what is in your control and that which is not.
You can be joyous and dedicated to your work but it is impossible to adjust the attitude of others through cajoling and simple persuasion.
You just have to look ahead, continue to work hard hoping your example rubs off, and "fill up your love bucket" as my mom used to say, with confident, affirmative behavior.
If this does not succeed it must be time to brush off your resume and make a change that will lighten and brighten your life.
Maybe hiring a housekeeper is just the ticket.
Even once a week or once every other week decreases the grind of the cleaning load.
Delegate duties and then grin when they are completed, even though not exactly to your specifications.
Helping others help you means standing back and accepting methods and modes that are not your own.
Throw out or box stuff, clothes, rags, pans, towels, magazines, and rotten cabbage.
Why drive yourself nuts with mountains of muck when resolution is at hand.
Absolutely, positively do not place these in the garage or rent a storage shed.
Out of sight, out of mind means a mess to surmount later on.
As for credit card bills, those are a real Marshmallow Test.
Just as in the work of Walter Mischel who studied children and delayed gratification, you must buck up.
You just have to say, "No!" loud and clear.
No new shoes or purse, no new car or charged vacations.
Earn and save, purchase with cash, fight the urge for a new coat now and trade that desire for a new swimsuit in March as you continue your daily swimming routine.
Willpower is self-driven when you firmly sit your seat behind the wheel, hands firmly grasped, and eyes straight ahead.
You can do it! Resolutions require muscle and might coupled with true grit but the dividends are enormous.
The bluest day of the year can transform to jade or lime, fuchsia or pink.
Rosy results are within reach.
