The concept – which was first coined by physiologist Cliff Arnall back in 2004 – suggests that the third Monday of every January is “the most depressing day of the year”, with a theory that essentially claims that this is the time of year when we’re all cold, broke and riddled with guilt that our New Year’s resolutions to get fit, drink less alcohol, and be a better human being, have fallen by the wayside.
It’s certainly been met with its skeptics over the years for a number of reasons, but of course in 2021, we’re also dealing with yet another national lockdown on top of those annual January difficulties.
One Manchester-based business is proving to be the perfect antidote to those dreary days though – and it “exists to remind people that we are all just humans”.
If you’re local to the city centre, you may know the Feel Good Club from the success of its brand-new wellbeing-focused cafe – which opened in the heart of the Northern Quarter in October of last year – but the movement actually started humbly as an Instagram page filled with uplifting messages and top tips by founders Kiera and Aimie Lawlor-Skillen.
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The carefully-curated social media page is aimed at normalising the stigma around mental health and has since flourished into a successful platform of 177K+ followers.
And through consistently posting inspirational quotes to live by, daily reminders to keep you in check, and “things you need to hear” all in aesthetically-pleasing pastel-coloured squares, alongside picture updates from the coffee house and the owners themselves – even their four-legged friend – following Feel Good Club on Instagram is one of the biggest favours you can do yourself this Blue Monday.
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We don’t know exactly what this year ahead will bring, but we know that becoming a member of the Feel Good Club community with just one simple social media follow is something you won’t regret.
Whether you believe the concept of Blue Monday to be somewhat of a myth or not, there’s no denying that repetitive lockdowns and ongoing restrictions amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have had a detrimental effect on mental health in the UK, with the latest studies by leading mental health charity MIND finding that more than half of adults (60%) and over two thirds of young people (68%) said their mental health got worse during the first lockdown.
And both people with and without previous experience of mental health problems reported poor mental health and wellbeing during that period too.
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Google search data compiled by Feel Good Club also showed the increasingly-worrying rise in mental health searches, with a 25% uplift in the UK overall, and searches for how to deal with anxiety also up by 53%, how to cope with OCD up 89%, and searches for tips on how to cope with depression up 67% too.
So yes, while it is true that these “unprecedented times” we are living through are affecting some of us more than others, it is nevertheless taking its toll on us all – and it’s absolutely okay to acknowledge this.
Help is out there.
If you or anyone you know is struggling right now, please know that you are never alone and there are many different places you can reach out to for support right here in Greater Manchester.
Suffering in silence never need be the way.
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Manchester Mind – An organisation that has supported people in Manchester for over 30 years. Most services are now available over the phone, by email or video call. The number is 0161 769 5732 and the opening hours are Mon – Fri 10am – 2pm.
The GM Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – The local NHS helpline is open 24/7 which you can call any time, day or night, if you feel your mental health is beginning to suffer: 0800 953 0285.
Andy’s Man Club – A group dedicated to starting conversations about mental health, assuring people that it’s ok to talk. You can contact them by email on: [email protected].
CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably supports people via phone and webchat. You can call 0800 58 58 58 or speak to a support worker online. Open 5pm to midnight.
Samaritans – The Manchester & Salford Samaritans offer emotional support by telephone and email. The phone lines and email support are available 24/7. Call 116 123 or visit the website.
And remember, no matter how many times it may have been said before, it cannot be said enough – it’s okay not to be okay, and your emotions are always valid.
Carl Froch slams ‘pathetic’ John Fury after bust-up at Darren Till press conference
Danny Jones
Former fighter Carl Froch has branded boxing patriarch John Fury “pathetic” following the chaotic scenes at the recent Darren Till press conference.
‘Big’ John was at the centre of some pre-bout bedlam earlier this week after tempers flared during the presser between his son Tommy Fury and his next opponent, Darren Till.
For anyone who didn’t see it, a reaction from the Fury father following a lengthy foul-mouthed exchange sparked a massive on-stage brawl, requiring both parties to be separated and the face-off cut short.
Offering his thoughts on the incident, the ex-middleweight and multi-time champion called out the 59-year-old for what he now says is just the “usual pathetic childish behaviour from a grown man.”
Carl Froch back in 2010, four years before his retirement.‘Big’ John seeing red at the Fury vs Till press conference.Credit: Pasi (via Wikimedia Commons)/Fight Hub TV (via YouTube screenshot)
Speaking to sports media and betting company, Action Network, Froch said: “Darren Till did have a lot to say and he was very vocal but at the end of the day it’s not about him, it’s about Darren Till and Tommy Fury so why is Big John Fury, the fighting man, getting involved?…
“Has he been sacked by Tyson Fury? Did Tyson tell him to f*****g do one and now he’s with Tommy Fury trying to get some of the limelight? I don’t know but same old s***. Darren Till totally wrote him off.
Froch went on to say of Fury junior – who has flirted with the idea of an exhibition match with the retired British, Super Middleweight, Commonwealth and WBC champ in the past – “For me, I don’t give it any credibility but when he mentions my name and puts my name in the mix, I’m obligated to respond.
“It’s like Jake Paul. He doesn’t like the way I give Jake Paul stick because I’m honest. He’s not a fighter or a pro boxer, he’s a YouTuber, TikTok dancer and content creator […] All of these guys like Jake Paul and ‘Big’ John Fury – when they start talking bull***t, I just tell it how it is, give my honest opinion and sit back to watch the parade go by because they all get upset.”
The 47-year-old also speculated that there is a serious possibility that older brother Tyson has dismissed his dad from his current entourage, at least during media events, noting that he isn’t helping promote fights by “headbutting children at press conferences” as we saw before the Fury vs Usyk fight.
“That kid he headbutted didn’t even look like he could have a shave”, added Froch. “He might’ve been a young man, but he picked on the smallest person there and dropped the headbutt on him. It’s not the kind of behaviour you want to see, it’s bad for boxing.
Offering his final thoughts on the ever-controversial John Fury, Froch signed off by saying: “At the end of the day, he is a guy who wants some attention. He’s a man who has never achieved anything. His son Tyson Fury is obviously very good, he’s a top fighter and we know what he’s all about.”
As for 25-year-old Tommy, he takes on fellow North West fighter Darren Till at the Co-op Live arena early next year. You can find out more HERE.
Tommy Fury vs Darren Till press conference descends into foul-mouthed chaos
Danny Jones
The first press conference ahead of Tommy Fury vs Darren Till was held on Tuesday evening and it didn’t take long for the whole thing to descend into absolute bedlam.
Having only been confirmed on Sunday, Fury vs Till will be a homecoming bout for the Wythenshawe-born fighter who is set to headline the first-ever boxing match at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena.
With the date set for 18 January, the pre-fight build-up and media frenzy are growing fast and things have already come to ahead in just the first meeting between the two fighters in London this week.
Clearly sharing plenty of bad blood already, while Tommy and Till were engaging in the usual fighting talk, the family patriarch, John Fury, decided to interject and it was at this point that things boiled over.
‼️ Tommy Fury vs Darren Till press conference descends into chaos as Till tells John Fury: "Shut up, you haven't been seen since Oleksandr Usyk battered Tyson."
As you can see, amidst the various insults being thrown around regarding intelligence, boxing ability, Tommy’s older brother Tyson being “battered by [Oleksandr] Usyk”, ‘Big John’ then launches a bottle of water across the table at Till, sparking a hot-tempered on-stage skirmish.
The lengthy exchange features as many expletives as you could imagine, with 31-year-old Darren Till also threatening that he will “bladder” both Tommy and his more established heavyweight sibling Tyson, labelling the entire Fury family “shithouses” as they walk out of the London press conference.
A mixed martial artist by trade who has competed at both welterweight and middleweight in the UFC, Till assured that even if the boxing match isn’t going his way on the night, he will kick [him] square in [the] face”, adding that he’s a “proper fighter” and that Tommy, on the other hand, has no power.
YouTube turned musician and occasional boxer, KSI – the founder of the Misfits promotion who is putting on the event and who Fury beat back in October last year – can also be heard whooping from centre stage and shouting, “Get your tickets!”
Even after the mini-brawl is separated, the foul-mouthed back and forth continues for some time. You can see another angle here:
Press conference aftermath 🤯@darrentill2 was going IN on the Fury’s 😳
This isn’t the first time things have boiled over at a Fury press conference; in fact, it’s not even the first time John Fury, 59, has found himself in the very eye of the storm.
Meanwhile, the youngest Fury son is preparing first his first fight in over a year, having nearly joined this year’s I’m a Celeb lineup instead.
Tickets for the now highly-anticipated boxing match at Co-op Live, just the second combat sports event to have been held at the arena, are on sale now – you can grab yours HERE. It’s going to be a feisty one.
Emily Sergeant -
18th January 2021 
