Beyond Blue Monday
- Nicki Eyre
- Jan 9
- 3 min read
Guest Blog by Lisa Seagroatt, Stop Hurt at Work Ambassador
Christmas is always a highly emotive time. Right? There’s so much pressure on us all to ‘be happy’ and ‘spend, spend, spend’. I love Christmas but …. whilst it’s often a glittering and glitzy affair for many (and I am one of those lucky enough to have lots of occasions to celebrate), the saucepan grey skies that often accompany December well into January can also present as a challenge for me. Why? Because January 18th marks the anniversary of when my mum died and so on those miserable days in December it often causes me to feel low. It’s a reminder of those long dark dank days we spent as a family trying to support mum during what was obviously her last festive season. We all knew that this would be the case but when you are faced with personal sadness during a time when you are pressured to be happy it can take its toll on you.
This January marks the 28th anniversary of when I lost my mum. I’ve been on this planet longer now without her than I was with her.
So why am I sharing this personal experience with you? Because as human beings we are all going to experience difficulties in life and the post-Christmas mental and financial slump that many of us will experience is a time when we can be at our most sad and vulnerable. It’s a time when people need to be supported particularly in the workplace.
For those who haven’t heard of Blue Monday, then let me enlighten you. This year it falls on 19th January, and this day is often described as the ‘saddest day of the year’. This is because the Christmas glitz has gone, the days are short, cold and often grey, and you are likely to receive your credit card bills reminding you of how much Christmas has cost.
Therefore, low mood and a feeling of unhappiness and even despair can creep in.
As an Ambassador for Stop Hurt at Work and an experienced HR professional, I understand how important people are and the value they bring to each workplace. At Stop Hurt at Work, we are actively lobbying to have workplace bullying recognised in UK law. Bullying hurts people and can leave lasting damage to your mental health. People are an organisation’s most valuable asset so its important for employers to understand that outside influences such as the effects of a bereavement or the post-Christmas slump, can impact significantly on people’s ability to function well both inside and outside of the workplace.
Having experienced a toxic workplace culture myself, I have seen firsthand how bullying can damage individuals and the detrimental effect it has on people and organisations. My own experience of being bullied in the workplace created such a degree of stress and anxiety for me that I went from a healthy resilient woman to someone I did not recognise. I did not realise that I was experiencing a mental health breakdown which ultimately took me over two years to recover from. Truth be told I still ‘have my moments’ as this experience has left me with mental scars. For anyone who has experienced workplace bullying they will be left with scars – these can be physical as well as mental too.
January is a difficult time for many employees, so I make this plea to ALL employers to recognise this fact and to treat their people with kindness, understanding, dignity and respect – and those requests are for each and every day of the year - and not just reserved for January and Blue Monday!
Lisa Seagroatt
Ambassador, Stop Hurt at Work
Founder HR Fit for Purpose
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