Will this coming Monday, the 19th, be the most depressing day of your year?
Known as Blue Monday, the third Monday in January is supposedly 'the most depressing day of the year'.
There's obvious environmental and social factors; the dark, wet weather, the post-Christmas social retraction, restrictive diets, dry-Jan, the news cycle.
But for me, it's the perennial realisation that I'm just same old f*ck-up that I was last year.
"Well not this year Rory... Not this year." (Inside my head).
As a new dad, I think a lot about parenting styles and read recently that children need their parents to set them both high-standards AND show them high-support.
As adults we still need parenting, but we must do it for ourselves.
Therefore think - Are my standards high enough? Am I rising to the level of my best self?
But also - Am I offering myself enough emotional support to show up at my best?
For me, this is the year to let go of self-loathing. I'm too old, and have too much I want to achieve, for that sh*t.
My intention for 2026 - be nice to myself.
