The myth of Blue Monday, often dubbed the "most depressing day of the year," is being challenged by mental health charity Samaritans and its Brew Monday campaign. Although the days of January are in fact long, cold and dark in many parts of the world, Samaritans wants to remind people that "there’s no such thing as ‘Blue Monday’—we all have our good days and our bad days, and those aren’t for the calendar to decide."
With the Brew Monday campaign, Samaritans invites people to reshape their perception of January 15th and reach out to someone they care about for a catchup over a beverage of their choosing. Beyond this one day in January, Samaritans also invites people to practice Brew Monday on Tuesdays, Saturday nights or any other time they want to offer or receive support.
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Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Reshaping Perceptions of Blue Monday
- Samaritans challenges the myth of Blue Monday and encourages people to acknowledge that everyone has good and bad days.
- Social Connection Campaigns
- Samaritans' Brew Monday campaign promotes reaching out to someone for a catch-up over a beverage, encouraging social connection and support.
- Flexible Support Initiatives
- Samaritans extends the practice of Brew Monday beyond January 15th, allowing people to offer or receive support on any day they choose.
Where This Applies
- Mental Health Services
- Reshaping perceptions of Blue Monday and promoting social connection presents disruptive innovation opportunities for mental health services to provide more inclusive support.
- Hospitality
- Samaritans' Brew Monday campaign opens up opportunities for the hospitality industry to create special offerings or experiences that encourage social connection and support.
- Marketing and Advertising
- The promotion of flexible support initiatives like Brew Monday provides opportunities for marketing and advertising professionals to develop campaigns that encourage empathy and mental health awareness.
