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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

BLUE
MONDAY
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1 Warm up

What activities are you usually doing at these times of year? How do you usually feel at these times
of year?

1. January
2. March
3. May
4. July
5. September
6. December

What feelings do you associate with these kinds of weather?

• Rain
• Fog
• Snow
• Clear blue sky and sunshine
• Cold days
• Windy days

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BLUE MONDAY

2 Understanding vocabulary

Part A: Match the vocabulary to the correct definition.

1. hemisphere (n) a. anything which stops the negative effects of something

2. anxiety (n) b. eat all of something very quickly, usually because of being
very hungry
3. devour (v) c. feeling particularly worried that something bad is going to
happen
4. trivialise (v) d. getting annoyed or angry quickly and easily

5. suicidal (adj.) e. having feelings of wanting to kill yourself

6. irritable (adj.) f. having no useful qualities or skills

7. worthless (adj.) g. make something seem smaller or less important than it

actually is
8. antidote (n) h. one half of the earth. Often the half above or below the
equator

Part B: Now put the vocabulary from Part A into the correct gaps in the following sentences.

1. I’m going to stop drinking coffee. It doesn’t help me feel awake any more. It just makes me feel
tense and .
2. I’m flying to Argentina next month on business. I’m really excited. It’ll actually be my first trip to
the southern .
3. He hoped to sell his car, but then his son hit a tree. Now it’s practically . He is so
angry!
4. I find meditation to be the perfect to the stress of modern life.
5. She was up late revising again last night. I’m worried because I think her exams are causing her a
lot of .
6. I swear the first thing I’m going to do when this vegan diet we’re doing is over, is to go and
a cheeseburger!
7. If you’re dealing with depression or having thoughts, there are people you can
talk to. Please don’t suffer in silence.
8. Telling her to smile and cheer up doesn’t help at all. You’ll just her depression.
She needs to be listened to.

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Now answer the following questions.

1. What kind of food are you most likely to devour?

2. Do you own anything that is really important to you, but worthless in terms of what it could be
sold for? What is it? Why is it important to you?
3. If you live in the northern hemisphere, where would you like to visit in the southern hemisphere?
And vice versa?
4. What do you do as an antidote to feeling unhappy or down?
5. What situations cause, or have caused, you anxiety?
6. What would you say to someone who was feeling suicidal?
7. Has anyone trivilised anything you’ve done? What happened?
8. What do other people do that makes you feel irritable?

3 Before you read

Scan through the text and find synonyms or phrases that mean the same as the following.

1. unhappiness (n., paragraph 3)

2. spend less money (idiom, paragraph 3)

3. beginning (n., paragraph 5)

4. labelling (v., paragraph 5)

5. subconscious (adj., paragraph 5)

6. negatively (adv., paragraph 7)

7. sadness (n., paragraph 7)

8. inventing (v., paragraph 8)

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UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)
BLUE MONDAY
Blue Monday
the saddest day of the year?
1.
Blue Monday, supposedly the saddest day of the year,
takes place on the third Monday in January. Why is it
so sad? Well, there are several factors involved.
2.
Firstly, for a large part of the world, the holiday
season is officially over. The lights have gone, the
decorations are down and, for many of those in the
northern hemisphere, they are replaced with cold,
damp, grey weather.
3.
To add to the gloom, following the increase in
spending for the end of year celebrations, levels of
debt are most likely to be up at this time. This means
you may be having to tighten your belt around a waist
that is likely to be a little more wobbly than usual.
4.
In addition, many people who have made New Year’s
resolutions will, statistically, have broken them by
this point. The hope that began the year has, for
many, been overwhelmed by feelings of anxiety and
frustration as they helplessly devour the last of the
’festive’ chocolate biscuits while, once again, not
going to the gym.
5.
However, since its inception in 2004 by psychologist
Cliff Arnall, ’Blue Monday’ has been met with a
certain amount of backlash from mental healthcare
professionals. Clinical depression is a serious illness
that will likely affect around one person out of every
six. Many feel that designating a day in January,
where everyone feels depressed, trivialises an issue
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that severely impacts a significant number of people
in all aspects of their lives all year. Those who
experience depression may have suicidal thoughts,
problems with sleeping, and a deep-seated feeling of
being disconnected from others.
6.
There are also a substantial number of people who
suffer from S.A.D, or Seasonal Affective Disorder.
This largely affects people during the months when
lack of sunlight is more likely, leaving them depressed,
irritable and feeling worthless.
7.
Again, symptoms of this adversely affect millions
around the world each year for many months, so the
implication that we can just feel down for one day and
get over it, is upsetting to many. Not least because
some companies have used it as an excuse to sell their
products as an antidote to the blues.
8.
Arnall himself has since publicly apologised for
coining the term and done much work to ensure
positive work is done year-round. Nonetheless, the
idea has stuck.
9.
On a positive note, it is a good chance to
acknowledge and discuss mental health more openly.
It is often an issue, due to its very nature, that people
struggle with in private.
Sources: BBC, The Independent, Mental Health
Foundation, National Today
4/6
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BLUE MONDAY

4 Understanding the text

Complete the following sentences with no more than three words from the text.

1. One of the reasons for Blue Monday, is that by the third Monday in January, has
ended and so has the joy that goes with it.
2. Not only that, but the lack of exercise and the over-eating may be showing in your .
3. Often, by this point in January, the optimism they felt at the beginning of the year will have been
replaced by cold weather and broken .
4. Some have objected to Blue Monday, saying that it reduces the importance of
clinical depression which is a very serious issue for many.
5. Those who suffer from depression may experience thoughts of suicide, a sense of disconnection
from others and .
6. Seasonal Affective Disorder often affects people during the darker months and can cause depression,
feelings of worthlessness and a tendency to feel .
7. With Blue Monday comes the that depression and S.A.D are something that
people can get over in a day, which doesn’t help.
8. Cliff Arnall, the creator of the Blue Monday concept, has distanced himself from it and apologised,
but the idea has persisted .

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5 Talking point

In pairs or groups, discuss the following questions.

A: What situations or events do you think are mostly likely to cause depression and anxiety in people?
Write down five likely causes.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

B: What advice can you give to someone suffering from depression? Write down five pieces of advice
you could give to a friend who told you they were depressed.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

C: What can you do yourself, even if you are not suffering from poor mental health, to ensure that
you stay in a healthy state of mind? Write down five ideas.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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TEACHER MATERIALS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

BLUE MONDAY

Key
1. Warm up

10 mins.
Put students in pairs or small groups. If at all possible, try to have students from different parts of the world in
the same group. Ask them to talk about what they typically are doing at the different times of year and their
emotional reaction to different types of weather. People often like weather that is different from where they live,
so for example, students in the Middle East will be very excited by rain and enjoy colder weather.
Encourage students to think about what times of year they like most and why.
Student’s own answers.

2. Understanding vocabulary

Part A:
5 mins.
Ask students to match the words to the definitions. They may need a dictionary or the Internet to complete this.
1. h 2. c 3. b 4. g 5. e 6. d 7. f 8. a

Part B:
10 - 15 mins.
Ask students to identify what part of speech can go in the sentences. Then ask them to complete the sentences
and discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Circulate and encourage students and help with vocabulary
and phrasing. You may want to ask the students to underline the target vocabulary in the text before moving on.
1. irritable 2. hemisphere 3. worthless 4. antidote
5. anxiety 6. devour 7. suicidal 8. trivialise

3. Before you read

5 mins.
Ask students to scan through and use the paragraph numbers to help them. They may need a dictionary or the
Internet to check. Ensure they are able to check their answers before moving on.
1. gloom 2. tighten your belt 3. inception 4. designating
5. deep-seated 6. adversely 7. the blues 8. coining

4. Understanding the text

15 mins.
Ask the students to read the text in greater detail and complete the sentences with one, or two, or three words
directly from the text.
1. the holiday season 2. waist
3. New Year’s resolutions 4. mental healthcare professionals
5. problems with sleeping 6. irritable
7. implication 8. nonetheless

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BLUE MONDAY

5. Talking point

15 mins.
Divide students into pairs or groups, ideally of no more than three. Small, intimate groupings are more likely to
encourage students to talk freely. With depression being quite a private, and possibly even a taboo issue for
some, questions are intended to be general and not personal. However, you may find you have some students
who would be willing to discuss either their personal experiences with depression, or those of a close friend or
relative. As their teacher, you will be the best judge of how much you will want to use personal stories. Ensure
that there is a warm, supportive atmosphere in the classroom when discussing these, often difficult, subjects.
If time is tight, you may want students to prepare this section at home and then bring their ideas to discuss to the
next class.

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