UK urged to turn Blue Monday into Brew Monday by arranging virtual chats over tea

Great British Bake Off Finalist and Samaritans volunteer Laura Adlington having a virtual cuppa in support of Samaritans Brew Monday. 
PA

The country is being urged to virtually check in with friends and family on what has been dubbed as the most depressing day of the year.

Samaritans wants to turn the third Monday of January, which is often referred to by some as Blue Monday, into the more positive Brew Monday, encouraging people to make a cup of tea and have a chat on the phone or online with those they care about.

Blue Monday is seen as a time when people’s mood may have dipped as the festive season is over, bills may have arrived, payday is still some way off, the weather is gloomy and new year resolutions may have been shelved.

This year’s Blue Monday falls during the UK’s third national lockdown meaning that challenges faced by many people in winter may have been exacerbated. 

The Great British Bake Off finalist and Samaritans volunteer Laura Adlington said it is about “making sure that people are all right, not just on that day but every day”.

She added that she has had days where she did not want to get out of bed and rather than talking to people  she has wanted to “shut the world out a little bit”.

“What I’ve made myself do recently is reach out to people and talk, and it does help, it genuinely does help,” she went on.

Speaking about Brew Monday, Ms Adlington who has been a volunteer for the charity for two years, said: “Let’s reach out, let’s talk to people, and let’s have some meaningful connection and get talking, rather than kind of sitting and feeling sad and feeling alone in our sadness. We’re not alone.”

She pointed out that Samaritans is not just for people who are feeling suicidal, but also for people who are in crisis or “just having a really tough time...Don’t be afraid or ashamed to seek it out.”

Samaritans said it found that 58% of UK adults felt that speaking regularly to friends and family either on the phone, via video calls or in person over the last year had a positive effect on their mental wellbeing.

The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“If 2020 has taught us anything it’s to be kind.

“If you think someone is struggling, ask them if they’re OK. You’re not going to make them feel worse."

The idea was also supported by Member of Parliament for the Blaydon constituency, Liz Twist, who shared the initiative in parliament.  

Samaritans chief executive Julie Bentley said: “At Samaritans, we know how powerful talking and listening can be, even if it is virtually.

“It doesn’t have to be a Monday or a cup of tea, it’s about taking the time to listen and support one another. It could save a life.”

Anyone can contact Samaritans free any time from any phone on 116 123, even a mobile without credit.

Or you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org for more information.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT