Earlier this week, January 17, was "Blue Monday", allegedly the most depressing day of the year, at least in the UK. The third Monday of the year is around the time the energy spike of new year’s resolutions for lots of people wears off. Many are busy with work, and no matter how much some of us might love our jobs, the sense of being stuck in a hamster wheel affects even the best of us. For those out of love with their work, the dissatisfaction after annual leave can be more acute. If we believed the myths surrounding Blue Monday, we might be fated to feel down.
After nearly two years of the pandemic, in which no-one has escaped from physical, emotional or mental hardship, we are all fatigued. I know I find myself pondering over how this will ever end, and what will be our moment of exit, if ever. The mental health toll, in particular is high, as has been extensively reported, and only time will tell what long term impacts these months have had on our well-being, including the actual after-effects of "long Covid".
I admit that I’m exhausted. I feel down and I don’t want to feel like this anymore. My own story, which I’ve written about previously, is one of caring for young children and vulnerable parents through medical emergencies, along with working and being involved with issues of social injustice. Everyone has their own tale to tell, and for those who have lost loved ones, often in the worst of circumstances, the hardship is even greater.
For many of us, this feels exacerbated by not knowing when it will all end, coupled with the ups and downs of life. If only there was an end date, even far away, how much easier it would be to manage, I tell myself. But I wonder if this is a soothing fiction. Have some of us run out of the inner fuel in our reserve tanks? Like Blue Monday, are we fated to live in this seemingly perpetual gloom and uncertainty?
It turns out that Blue Monday isn’t a scientifically proven fact after all, despite its seemingly legitimate basis. After all, it sounds plausible. But pessimism can pander to our need to validate misery. And this year it feels like we have every legitimate reason to see misery around us.
In fact, Blue Monday was invented in 2005 as a marketing ploy for a travel company called Sky Travel, supported by a scientist that created a formula to calculate our misery. The company has gone bust, and whether the marketing sold more plane tickets, who knows. But the outcome is that we’ve created an annual homage to pessimism on the third Monday of the year.
A friend and I have vowed to set up an “Optimism Club” on Whatsapp
Maybe we don’t need to be trapped in pessimism and what we need is a healthy dose of optimism. After all, it seems that optimism really can make us live longer. A 2019 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found participants with highest versus lowest optimism levels had 1.5 (women) and 1.7 (men) greater odds of surviving to age 85.
If you look for it you can see optimism in headlines. Most notably there is cautious optimism about the mildness of the Omicron variant and the possibility that the peak is subsiding. With the potential of ever milder variants and improving anti-viral drugs and treatments, dare we feel hopeful?
But even if there are still difficult times to come in the pandemic, optimism may well be the drug that we really need to keep going. A friend and I have vowed to set up an “Optimism Club” on Whatsapp, where the only thing members are allowed to post are positive news stories and upbeat thoughts. Is that Pollyanna-ish? Maybe. But given the overwhelming gloom surrounding us, why not have an oasis of optimism? Shouldn’t a vitamin boost of joy be a daily must-have supplement? We are what we read. And the more we seek out a particular topic, the more we think about it. Instead of going down rabbit holes on social media of conspiracy theories why not fill our minds with positivity?
We are not obliged to choose the negative path. We are not doomed to feel pessimistic. If we seek our more cheerfulness, we will feel more cheerful. And if we believe that we should feel optimistic then our natural bent towards confirmation bias (the tendency to look for things that agree with our existing views) will mean we seek further optimistic stories. This is a virtuous circle if ever there was one. Better to be trapped in that than an endless cycle of despair. Choose positivity. Choose optimism. Choose – if you like to – to start your own optimism club.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari
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