SO we are just a few days away from the most ridiculous, invented day of the year again – Blue Monday.

That’s right the most depressing day is back, this time on January 15, and I’m still struggling to see how this is even a thing.

National papers have already been previewing this event with their stories featuring the usual pictures of upset looking models.

The boffin behind this invented day is Dr Cliff Arnall, who came up with the Blue Monday formula. It includes weather conditions, levels of debt, the end of Christmas celebrations, failed New Year’s resolutions and low motivation levels – which apparently all culminates to a mass depression on this one day of the year.

It is, of course, complete nonsense. If there wasn’t the hype in national papers, complete with Blue Monday survival guides, we would all go about our day normally on just another Monday.

To be fair to Dr Arnall he recently said that 13 years ago, when he came up with the concept, it was never his intention to make the day sound negative.

Instead, he wanted to encourage people to think positively and see the day, and time of year, as “being an opportunity for new beginnings and change”.

The formula too has been derided by scientists as nonsensical.

The problem is the idea has grown annually and Blue Monday is now almost a celebration of negativity.

The worst part about it is so many want to indulge themselves in all this doom and gloom and write about it on social media, almost competing to feel the worst.

I especially don’t like that this detracts from people with genuine depression. Patients with a history of major depression experience more symptoms annually during this winter period, and don’t need to see this kind of nonsense.

Just as Blue Monday makes no sense, so too is the happiest day of the year, another Dr Arnall invention, and calculated as falling in mid-June.

That ran for five years but hasn’t been heard of since 2010. Unfortunately Blue Monday seems here to stay, at least for the time being.

I’m planning to treat it like any other day, and I hope the majority will join me and not embrace this concept.

The more who do, the better chance that it will disappear.