This is how you get through Blue Monday (and the lockdown) a little happier! - 7 tips

Whether I glance at my own agenda or look at a news site, I can't ignore it. “January 18: Blue Monday”. It is written in cow letters. This Monday would be the Monday of the year when most people feel sad. Fortunately, Blue Monday is just something that was invented by a psychologist and no evidence has ever been found for it. So let's make this Blue Monday a nice day. These are 7 tips to give your Monday a cheerful boost.

Tip 1 - Make your lunch a party

Who says you have to have standard peanut butter sandwiches for lunch? Make your lunch a feast today. Dive into the kitchen for something extra tasty. For example, top your bread with double fillings (peanut butter with chocolate sprinkles is always good!) or turn your rolls into a sandwich with lettuce, cheese, cucumber and hummus. Or get extra tasty sandwiches at the supermarket. You can also make your own soup or a delicious omelet. That will be extra tasty at 12 o'clock today. TIP: these fika, comfort food Cinnamon rolls are still great!

Relax this holiday season

Tip 2 - Dress yourself up

During this working from home period, it is tempting to turn every working day into a pajama or sweatpants day. Your Zoom colleagues can't see it! But what if you don't do that today? Especially when you're feeling down, it's great to put on your most beautiful dress and chic shoes. Take care of your face with extra creams, put on a mask and pay extra attention to your hair. Acheerful color on your nails also works wonders. Not because you're going to a party. Well, because you make it a bit of a party yourself. Also on an ordinary (blue?) Monday.

Tip 3 - Treat yourself to a takeaway meal

Food makes you happy. Yes, right?! And especially culinary food. Pick up a delicious meal from your favorite restaurant and enjoy it tonight. This can vary from a tasty bagel to a complete sushi meal or even a five-course dinner. Light the candles yourself and create something festive on the table. Blue Monday is a good excuse to not pay attention to the bill.

Tip 4 - Bring spring into your home

Spring may have to wait a while, but there are things you can do to get into the spring mood. A bouquet of flowers is of course the ingredient for this. This way you immediately bring some color into your home - gray winter weather or not.

You don't even have to leave the house for a bouquet of flowers. Give yourself a letterbox package with flowers or seeds from Greetz as a gift. Then you will have something colorful on the table the next day.

Cheerful home accessories also work wonders. Put nice candles on the table, buy a beautiful vase or change the cushions on your couch. Small adjustment, big difference!

Tip 5 - Go outside during the day

Now that the days are shorter, a little sunlight does us extra good. I tend to only go out after work. While it is much nicer to go around the block during the afternoon. You can immediately get your daily dose of vitamin D! It has even been proven that we are less likely to feel down if we see some sunlight outside every day.

Therefore, make time for a walk in the middle of the day. To make it even more fun, you can also go to a beautiful forest or park that you would otherwise not often visit.

Extra tip : do you want inspiration for beautiful places to go for a walk? Then the book ' In love with the Netherlands ' is highly recommended. Here you can gain a lot of inspiration for beautiful Dutch destinations where there is plenty to see and experience.

Tip 6 - Call, Skype, Zoom or app

A good conversation can also make your day a little better. How nice is it not to call your best friend, but someone you haven't spoken to in a while. Your mother, a friend, your grandmother, aunt or a former classmate, for example. This can lead to surprisingly pleasant conversations, which will undoubtedly lead to interesting stories. A joy maker in itself!

Tip 7 - Happy mail!

And a final tip: make others happy with cheerful mail. Doing something nice for someone else is also a nice way to cheer yourself up. Choose a beautiful, colorful card (or better yet: a few) and surprise someone with it.

Especially in these times of apps, emails and Skype contact, a handwritten card is certainly extra appreciated. Decorate the envelopes with cheerful stickers, think of a nice message to write on the cards and post the cards to the people who mean the most to you. That means a double smile: for you and for the other person.

Still looking for nice cards? You will find many cheerful ones in the Happlify shop. There is a nice card for every occasion (and also for “just because”).

So, let's make Blue Monday a happy Monday! Are you participating?

The author: Romy Veul

Copywriter, language fanatic, crazy about color and cheerful as often as possible. That's who Romy Veul is in a nutshell. On her blog More often Cheerful she takes you into her positive imaginations. Always with a modest dose of humor and nice colorful photos. Romy's blog posts >