The awkward moment when you enter your username and password but don’t want to hit the login button – yes you may have guessed correctly I am referring to those depressing days when you’re too afraid to check your bank balance.

The festive period now feels like a distant memory and if like me you suffer from Monday morning blues then Blue Monday will feel very familiar to you.

It’s the worse Monday feeling concentrated into one day which is recognised and claimed nationally as one of the most depressing days in the UK – the third Monday of every January.

And what’s made it worse (or better if you are ten year’s old and your school closed..) is the fact that it is snowing!

Pay day feels like weeks away as we try to come to grips with our outgoings…calculating our debts when really we should be working on our work deadlines!

All this combined with the bleak economic outlook surely doesn’t have a positive impact on one’s health.

Personally every single January day I get the Blue Monday feeling. The cold weather triggers this off for me and then there is the slow realisation that I have abandoned the resolutions.

So with all this negativity how can we use this feeling to our advantage? After all I am a ‘glass half full’ type of person.

Let’s begin with using this as a stepping stone to reflect on the key factors which may ignite depressing emotions within us and how we can overcome or conquer these: Debt Budget your outgoings and living costs and decide where you can save some more pennies.

Also remember to pay your Christmas credit card debt as soon as you can and start saving a certain percentage of your wage each month so by the end of the year you have enough for a rainy day.

New Year’s resolutions: Try to narrow these down to the realistic ones which you think you can attempt to keep and scrap the ones you know are impossible – cut yourself some slack rather than regret it next year!

British weather: Wrap up warm, drive safely on the roads; enjoy the winter layering and woolly knitwear available in the shops without burning a hole in your pocket. Before you know it spring will have arrived.

Career: Make a list of what your goals are, whether it’s a promotion at work or pay rise! Then plan the key milestones you will need to overcome in order to achieve your goals – if it helps speak to your boss– who knows he/she may be feeling the January blues too!

Lastly look forward to what the year holds, having spoken to a few friends, many told me January was a time to learn from mistakes.

Make a fresh start, take on new challenges and last but not least come rain or sleet get accelerating for the remaining 11 months.