Choosing biophilia
Earlier this week, the term Blue Monday trended across social media channels and garnered traditional media attention.
No, New Order hadn't revived its 1980s hit. Instead, the term flooded the Web, because of "news" that the third Monday in January is the year's bleakest day.
While questionable calculations underpin the date, it's easy to see why mid-January blahs overwhelm us. There's an unhealthy combination of extreme weather, holiday debt, slipping resolutions, excessive work demands, Valentine's commercialism, minimal daylight hours, cabin fever, etc.
Despite those external factors, please don't yield to Blue Monday.
As Dr. Viktor Frankl wrote, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
So without suppressing feelings, whenever possible, make a conscious effort to opt for optimism over negativity, mindfulness over indifference, curiosity over ignorance, and appreciation over disdain.
Essentially, sign up for biophilia. (That's a love of life, not the love of your life, and maybe not even loving every aspect of your life.) Biophilia drives you to seek the beauty and wonder in life at large.
Do that, and I guarantee you'll be tempted to mark a New Monday, rather than wallow in a Blue Monday.
AWESOME!
No, New Order hadn't revived its 1980s hit. Instead, the term flooded the Web, because of "news" that the third Monday in January is the year's bleakest day.
While questionable calculations underpin the date, it's easy to see why mid-January blahs overwhelm us. There's an unhealthy combination of extreme weather, holiday debt, slipping resolutions, excessive work demands, Valentine's commercialism, minimal daylight hours, cabin fever, etc.
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| Warning: Biophilia may cause you to adopt a glass-half-full outlook. |
As Dr. Viktor Frankl wrote, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
So without suppressing feelings, whenever possible, make a conscious effort to opt for optimism over negativity, mindfulness over indifference, curiosity over ignorance, and appreciation over disdain.
Essentially, sign up for biophilia. (That's a love of life, not the love of your life, and maybe not even loving every aspect of your life.) Biophilia drives you to seek the beauty and wonder in life at large.
Do that, and I guarantee you'll be tempted to mark a New Monday, rather than wallow in a Blue Monday.
AWESOME!
A friend phoned during my lunch break to recommend another image for this blog post. Patricia's idea was to add a photo of a Choose Life shirt. I would, but I donated that shirt to the Salvation Army, several years after Wham's heydays.
ReplyDeleteToo young to remember the 1980s? Check out George Michael sporting the look.