BLUE MONDAY: Reasons to be cheerful in 2018

Blue Monday - if you buy into the 'most depressing day of the year' idea - has been and gone.
Blackpool Air Show will return once again.Blackpool Air Show will return once again.
Blackpool Air Show will return once again.

So it's all uphill from here - and with plenty to look forward to on the Fylde coast, there are plenty of reasons to banish those blues and smile.

Festivals, air shows, classic car meet-ups, and of course, the Illuminations. What's not to like?

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And further afield, we can look forward to a royal wedding, the FIFA World Cup and another eagerly-awaited new Star Wars spin-off, to name just a few things. Here we look at some of the reasons to be cheerful for 2018...

Comedians on their way

Sarah Millican

Russell Brand

Ken Dodd

Take action to turn your career around, says Coach Corinne

Rather than seeing it as the day from hell, career coach Corinne Mills says Blue Monday is the perfect moment to take action that can turn your career around for the better, writes Gary Flockhart.

“It’s been a bad day, please don’t take my picture”. So sings Michael Stipe on the REM hit Bad Day.

But it’s not only pop stars who get down in the dumps.

We’ve all had a bad day at the office at one time or another, whether it’s due to problems with a co-worker, a barely-manageable workload, or an overly-demanding boss.

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Are you having a bad day today? If so, join the club. One day on from Blue Monday, few people are likely to have had a sudden change their outlook on life.

Hang in there, though, because things aren’t quite as doomy and gloomy as they sound. Indeed, according to Corinne Mills, managing director of Personal Career Manage-ment and author of Career Coach: How To Plan Your Career And Land Your Perfect Job, there are ways you can beat those blues.

“First of all, you need to work out what’s not working career-wise,” says Corinne.

“Sometimes you just feel kind of fed up with your job - and supposedly these feelings are intensified on Blue Monday.

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“But actually, it might be that your job kind of works but there’s just something you’re not too keen on, or someone at work has irritated you."

“Sometimes there are small tweaks that you can do that can make a difference,” she continues. “The solution isn’t necessarily ‘out there somewhere’, it can be right under your nose.

“The first thing to look at is, ‘What are the small wins?’ What can you do today that might make a difference? That might be having a bit of a constructive chat with the colleague who’s been irritating you for months.

“You can rehearse this beforehand and make it a clear-the-air conversation.

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“Say something like: ‘I’m making new year resolutions for 2018 and I’d really like to talk to you about how best we might work together in the year ahead’.

“It’s something positive and constructive - but actually, it sets the tone for going forward.”

“Equally, you might be resenting something your manager has done.

“Go and have a civil conversation with them to express a little bit how you are feeling,” says Corinne. “Just make sure you’re not angry when you have these talks - and make sure you rehearse it beforehand.

“Again, I think that clearing the air, rather than harbouring the 2017 resentment, is good for 2018.”