What Is Blue Monday? British Culture, Vocabulary, and Everyday English
- Jan 19
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
A look at British culture, everyday vocabulary, and why January feels harder than most
This post comes from my weekly English with Em newsletter.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you use them, I earn a small commission — it doesn’t cost you anything extra.
Weekly update
The colour blue is associated with sadness, and the third Monday in January is generally considered to be the most depressing day of the year.
Is there any science behind this? Apparently not! The term was coined by a psychologist who worked for a UK travel company. He based it on the fact that many people are in debt (pronounced /det/) after Christmas, the weather is cold and cloudy, and people are feeling unmotivated, having already failed to stick to their New Year's resolutions.
The idea behind Blue Monday was clearly to sell more holidays, with the promise of cheering people up. I do think there's something to this, as many Brits suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) due to the lack of sunlight at this time of year.
Happily, living in southern Spain, I don't have that problem, but it got me thinking about ways to increase your happiness.
I had an interesting chat with one of my students on Friday. (One of my favourite things about teaching English is that I learn from my students!)
He said that the reason time flies is that we tend to do the same things every day, which can feel monotonous. As a creature of habit, this is certainly true in my case!
His solution was to try to do something new every day. Doing that makes life more interesting and makes you feel more productive, thus boosting your happiness levels.
I'd like to say that this is my New Year's resolution, but I know I won't stick to it. For me, something new every week is more realistic.
On a completely different note, the laptop saga (two faulty devices and weeks of delivery and pick-up issues) is finally at an end! The company refunded the money and I have now bought a different device, which I am very happy with.
I'm hoping it will make content creation faster. Let's see how much I manage to get done this week!
Vocabulary list
Coin (verb): To invent a new word or phrase.
In debt (phrase): Owing money to someone or a company.
Stick to (phrasal verb): To continue doing something as planned, even when it is difficult.
New Year's resolution (noun): A promise you make to yourself at the start of the year to change or improve something in your life.
Typical resolutions:
👉 I will go to the gym more often.
👉 I'll cut down on sugary food.
Cheer someone up (phrasal verb): To make someone feel happier.
Something to this (phrase): Used to say that an idea or opinion may be partly true.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (noun): A type of depression that happens at certain times of the year, often in winter due to reduced sunlight.
Lack of (collocation): The situation of not having enough of something.
Get someone thinking (phrase): To make someone think seriously about something.
Tend (verb): To usually do something or behave in a particular way.
Monotonous (adjective): Boring because it is always the same.
Creature of habit (idiom): A person who likes routine and finds it difficult to change their habits.
Try to do (verb phrase): To make an effort to do something, even if you may not succeed.
To learn the difference between try to do and try doing, watch the live dictation 👇
Boost (verb): To increase or improve something.
What's new on YouTube?
I haven't finished working on the latest video yet, so I have a few recommendations based on today's newsletter content instead:
Learn how to describe colours in English, including how to describe two colours combined.
A live English dictation focusing on the tricky verbs mean, try, go on, regret, and whether to follow them with a gerund (-ing) or an infinitive (to + verb).
An English pun for you!
What did the grape say when it got crushed? Nothing, it just let out a little wine.
Explanation at the end👇
Idiom of the week
Out of the blue
If something happens out of the blue, it happens suddenly and unexpectedly, without any warning.
👉 We hadn't spoken for years, and then, out of the blue, she called me.
👉 He quit his job completely out of the blue and decided to travel the world.
👉 I got an email out of the blue offering me a new position.
Your questions answered
Is it wrong to start a sentence with ‘And’ or ‘But’?
This is an important question if you use English in formal contexts.
In modern English, especially in informal writing and spoken English, starting a sentence with and or but is perfectly natural and very common. It’s often used to add emphasis or to make writing sound more conversational.
However, in very formal or academic writing, using high-frequency linking words like and, but, so, and because at the start of a sentence should be avoided.
More formal alternatives:
And → Moreover, furthermore, in addition, additionally
But → However, nevertheless, yet
So → Therefore, as a result, consequently, thus
Because (+ clause) → Due to, because of, owing to (these are all followed by a noun phrase)
These words express similar ideas, but they do not all function grammatically in the same way.
🌟 To learn more about this topic, check out my:
Linking Words Playlist
Intermediate English Master Course - a self-paced video course with 50+ lessons, PDFs and practice exercises.
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