Blue Monday: The most depressing day of the year

If you're feeling a little down today, you may not be the only one.

Today, statistically, is the most depressing day of the year. It tends to fall on the third Monday of January annually, and is caused by a number of different factors. New years celebrations are wearing off, Christmas bills start coming in and summer seems very far away with the rain we had this morning.

Phillip Hodson, a fellow of the British Association for Counselling, said: "The worst day has got to be a Monday - there is other evidence to show it is the worst day of the week.

"Our bodies work on a 25-hour clock so that - by the time we get to the weekend - we stay up later. That makes it difficult for us to go to sleep on Sunday and we wake up grumpy.

"It's also got to be around this time of year - we are less contented with our body image because we've been bingeing."

And that’s not the worst of it; the weather forecast looks depressing as well- with snow, sleet and hail hitting most parts of the UK as the unseasonably mild temperatures plummet. MeteoGroup forecaster Michael Dukes said: "Temperatures are going to plummet - there could be snow almost anywhere."

However the country is trying to fight back against the Monday Blues; The charity ActionAid is hosting a 'Happy Bubble' in London's Finsbury Avenue Square today to help beat the blues. Two giant, heated bubbles will be filled with space hoppers, and free massages and other fun items will be free for the public between 7am - 7pm.

There’s also the website www.beatbluemonday.org.uk, which is specifically designed to help people beat that Monday morning feeling.