Woeful Wednesday: Experts Predict New Worst Day Of The Year And Give Their Tips On How To Beat The Blues

With dark nights drawing in, a budget expected to be filled with cuts and a third Christmas of squeezed finances, mental health experts are expecting the last Wednesday in October to be the new ‘Blue Monday’.

EXPERTS from a new counselling service have revealed that they’re predicting the last Wednesday in October to be the new ‘Blue Monday’.

With a host of factors coming to a head at the end of the month, including the impending winter budget, the clocks having gone back and escalating tensions across the country, Wednesday 30th is expected to see the biggest dip in the nation’s mood this year.

It comes as Google searches for ‘how to find a therapist’ hit their highest point ever - with search volumes having risen by 5% year-on-year and nearly 15% compared to the summer months.

The mental health crisis in the UK is most acutely seen in the younger generations, with 1 in 3 18-24 year olds reporting they suffer from a mental health problem. 

“It’s no overstatement to say we’re in the grip of a mental health crisis in the UK,” said Helen Stuart, Managing Director for the counselling provider Now You’re Talking. “We thought that post-lockdown, which had an immense impact on our mental states across the country, we’d see an improvement as we all readjust to normal life.

“However it’s almost like the opposite has happened. We’ve still got lingering effects of the lockdown on our health, our economy and our society, we’ve got massive generational gaps in opinions and we’re trying to tackle all of this with less real-terms mental health funding.

“It’s reached a point where, given everything that’s happened this year, we’re thinking that the classic ‘Blue Monday’ is out-of-date - and that the nation’s mood is likely to be lower this Wednesday than that second Monday in January.

With the nation’s plunging mental health and the skyrocketing searches for a therapist, Helen has also given her top tips on how to find the perfect person to open up to.

“It’s unsurprising that we’ve seen such a big surge toward people searching for support,” Helen continued. “Many people, often those that have never even considered searching for therapists or counsellors before, are now on the hunt for someone that can help them cope with the unbelievable amounts of stress we’re all suffering from.

“It can be really daunting when you start that search; how do you know who is right for you? The first thing you should do is make sure you get your background research done. 

“What issues do they specialise in? What do they say about their approach? If you’re someone that communicates better over a phone then online therapists are your go to - but if you’re a people person, then doing remote therapy won’t give you the support that you really need.

“You should also think about what style of therapy you want. Is it someone to talk to and explain your current problems to, or do you want to process past issues? Do you want to learn coping strategies and learn to set boundaries, or would you prefer a more creative approach? Different styles are built to service different needs, and once you know what you want to address, you should look to find a specialist in that particular type of therapy.

“Finally, make sure that you have an end goal in sight - and discuss this with your potential therapist to make sure that you and they align. If you think this is something you will benefit from on a long-term basis, then you should express that. If you want short-term support for a particularly stressful period, then that’s fine too - but make sure that you and your chosen therapist are on the same page before you start working together.”