David Rattray's Flexible Thinking Blog

British public urged to ‘Beat Blue Monday’

2009-01-09T05:14:00.001Z

A campaign encouraging the British public to overcome the winter blues is being launched to raise people’s spirits and vital funds for the Mental Health Foundation in the run up the year’s most depressing day – ‘Blue Monday’ on 19 January 2009.

The campaign features advice to help people look after themselves, particularly during the economic downturn, which could make this the worst Blue Monday ever.

Blue Monday was first defined by Cliff Arnall, formerly of Cardiff University, marking the symbolic time in January when people suffer from a series of combined depressive effects.

Blue Monday was devised using the following mathematical equation:

[W + (D-d)] x TQ

M x Na

The model was broken down using six immediately identifiable factors; weather (W), debt (d), time since Christmas (T), time since failing our new year’s resolutions (Q), low motivational levels (M) and the feeling of a need to take action (Na).

The equation calculates that Monday 19 January 2009 is the worst day of the year, when the Christmas glow has faded away, New Year’s resolutions have been broken, cold Winter weather has set in and credit card bills will be landing on doormats across the land – whilst the January pay-cheque is still some way away.

The ‘Beat Blue Monday’ campaign has been developed by the Flexible Thinking Forum, a not-for-profit organisation promoting flexible and creative thinking skills in business and the community, to encourage people to challenge set ways of thinking with the support of GREEN communications.

--Advice to get through Blue Monday--

The Mental Health Foundation’s new booklet, ‘How to look after your mental health’ suggests 10 ways to take care of yourself, when all you want to do is hide under the duvet.

• Keep active

• Eat well

• Keep in touch

• Care for others

• Do something you are good at

• Ask for help

• Accept who you are

• Talk about your feelings

• Take a break

• Drink sensibly

--Help prevent mental illness turning into a tragedy--

For some, the January blues will be serious, as increasing numbers face unemployment, mounting debt and housing insecurity as a result of the economic crisis.

The Mental Health Foundation has launched an appeal to raise money to identify and reach individuals and families who need the charity’s help. For those struggling to cope with an episode of mental distress, the Foundation’s information packs are a lifeline – they help people to understand what their loved ones and friends are going through and suggest where people can go to get help.

Every year around 6,000 people commit suicide in the UK. By giving as little as £10 you can help. To find out more visit www.mentalhealth.org.uk/bluemonday

--Comments--

Encouraging people to overcome the negative effects of Blue Monday, Andy Green of the Flexible Thinking Forum said: “There is a lot of pessimism around which can be catching and does little to help those experiencing real difficulties. Today may be symbolically the year’s most depressing day, but there are lots of things to be happy about and staying optimistic in trying times can make all the difference.”

Visit www.beatbluemonday.org.uk for more details about how to overcome ‘Blue Monday’ and how you can do your bit to help charity. The public is also being urged to submit their own creative ideas for beating the January blues to the website.

ENDS

For further details please contact Kathy Burke or Andy Green at BLUE Communications (formerly GREEN Communications) on 0845 450 3210 or 07815 884 525 (out-of-hours). Alternatively, email kathy@greencomms.com or andy@greencomms.com

Notes to editors

The Mental Health Foundation (www.mentalhealth.org.uk) uses research and practical projects to help people survive, recover from and prevent mental health problems. We work to influence policy, including government at the highest levels. And we use our knowledge to raise awareness and to help tackle the stigma attached to mental illness. We reach millions of people every year through our media work, information booklets and online services. Registered Charity No: (England & Wales) 801130: (Scotland) SC 039714.

Cliff Arnall, formerly of Cardiff University, has worked in the NHS helping people with depression and addictive behaviour. He also runs courses and gives talks for organisations on stress and anger management, happiness, understanding depression and the psychology of success.

Computer Weekly- Stupid Aid

2008-09-11T10:44:00.002+01:00

Here is a link to an article on Computer Weekly which discusses creativity guru Andy Green's new book 'Overcoming Stupidity' and highlights the Information Commissioners Office call for companies and organisations to avoid ducking behind the data protection act.

The Register

2008-09-08T14:49:00.002+01:00

The Flexible Thinking Forum campaign hit the headlines on the web site The Register in a timely piece on organisations hiding behind data protection act. The article tells an incredible story of 7 year old boy called Jacob and his Superman outfit.....

read the full article here

One in 17,500,000

2008-09-05T18:43:00.005+01:00

Thanks to great support from the media, the Flexible Thinking Forum site users and all participants we have nearly captured the front page on Google for Stupid Aid.

Creativity Guru Andy Green continued the tour today with a visit to Wales where he was sharing his ideas on flexible thinking and innovation at Admiral Insurance.

Sir Ken Robinson and David Icke!

2008-09-04T13:06:00.001+01:00

While flicking through the million and one channels which are now on digital TV I came across a channel which featured two curious bedfellows.

Sir Ken Robinson, a leading expert on education and creativity was half way through a brilliantly funny and thought provoking talk for TED called do Schools kill creativity? I managed to track the full talk down on YOUTUBE and you can see it here.

However, this was immediately followed by a talk on the New World order and the reptile elite by David Icke.....
Does anyone know what channel this was?? I know I didn't dream it.

AA Highlights Stupid Driving

2008-09-04T11:56:00.000+01:00

I have just posted an item on the Flexible Thinking Forum site about the AA giving their support to the Stupid Aid Campaign.. Click here

Edmund King, AA president, said; “Sometimes it is worth questioning some of the stupid regulations regarding motoring and we will be raising these issues with the relevant highway authorities. Painting yellow lines where nobody can park is pretty silly, as is, not being allowed to give your pay and display ticket that you have paid for to another driver.

To read the article in full on the AA website click here

FACEBOOK GROUP

2008-09-04T11:19:00.000+01:00

Yesterday one of our Stupid Aid supporters emailed the Flexible Thinking Forum site and asked us to set up a FACEBOOK group so that she and her friends could support our creative campaign against inflexible thinking…So we did.

The group is up and running….come along, give your support, contribute examples of stupidity, bureaucracy and the inflexible thinking which abounds in the world today.

Here is a link to our Facebook Group Make Stupidity History

Flexible Thinking Forum at the IOSH

2008-09-04T10:54:00.000+01:00

Yesterday Flexible Thinking Forum Director Andy Green continued his one man crusade against stupidity by giving a talk at Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

Andy said of IOSH... "So many good causes, such as sensible health and safety or risk management are being undermined by stupidity. Stupid Aid has a serious message - we want people to get in control of their world to fight back against stupidity, or not feel so helpless whenever they come across it. We hope it will not be a losing battle."

IOSH chief executive, Rob Strange OBE, added:
"There are many decisions being made in the name of health and safety that are not, in fact, about health and safety. It’s about people being frightened of being hit with compensation claims if someone gets hurt or failing to grasp the true purpose of health and safety.

read the news item on the IOSH site here

Sopranos, Curry and West Ham???

2008-09-03T18:12:00.001+01:00

Creativity Guru Andy Green has been interviewed by journalist Grant Woodward of the Yorkshire Evening Post in connection with the Stupid Aid Tour 2008. Andy gives some more anecdotes on inflexible thinking and reveals his passions for curry, the Sopranos and West Ham Utd.

Ed Catmull, co-founder of the successful digital animation studios discusses how PIXAR fosters creativity.

2008-09-03T11:53:00.000+01:00

Many people believe that good ideas are rarer and more valuable than good people. Ed Catmull, president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, couldn’t disagree more. That notion, he says, is rooted in a misguided view of creativity that exaggerates the importance of the initial idea in developing an original product. And it reflects a profound misunderstanding of how to manage the large risks inherent in producing breakthroughs…..

Click here to read this article from Harvard Business review.

West Yorkshire Police

2008-09-03T11:49:00.001+01:00

Creativity Guru Andy Green continues the Stupid Aid tour with a visit today to West Yorkshire Police. He will be giving tips on how to use creativity tools to help overcome the problems caused by inflexible (rules) thinking and giving examples from his new book Overcoming Stupidity.

Why can't we hear colour?

2008-09-02T13:48:00.000+01:00

The feature article on the Flexible Thinking Forum website this week is a mind-expanding talk that probes the limits of human understanding: Why can’t we see atoms? Why can’t we hear colour? How can we understand randomness? In this video of a talk give at TED Professor Richard Dawkins suggests that the true nature of the universe eludes us because the human mind has evolved mainly to understand other humans — and to look for human motives even in natural processes.

Here is a link to this Video on our site...

Richard Dawkins- The Strangeness of Science

Overcoming Stupidity-

2008-09-02T13:30:00.000+01:00

Today, the second day of the Stupid Aid tour 2008 sees creativity and innovation Guru Andy Green speaking at an event in Wilmslow for the Information Commissioners Office. He will be promoting his new book Overcoming Stupidity and collecting examples of inflexible thinking to put forward for the Golden Lemon awards!

These 'awards' seek to highlight the worst examples of bureaucratic, inflexible or compound stupidity which surround us in our daily lives.

To learn more, or to put forward your suggestions visit the site at www.flexiblethinkingforum.org.uk

The Flexible Thinking Forum

2008-09-01T12:03:00.000+01:00

I have just added some more content to the new Flexible Thinking Forum site at www.flexiblethinkingforum.org.uk.

I will be putting up more content throughout the week including news from the Stupid Aid Tour 2008 which Andy launched with a bang earlier this morning.

He has already done a piece on Radio Merseyside and was the lead item on the breakfast show on BBC Radio Oxford.

Andy's new book Overcoming Stupidity is published by Tangent Publishing and is available through the Flexible thinking Forum website (soon through Amazon)

Dave

Six Examples of Stupid Thinking

2008-08-26T21:40:00.001+01:00

As the Flexible Thinking Forum launches the Stupid Aid tour for 2008 on Monday 1st September, we thought that it might be useful to provide some useful tips to overcome inflexible thinking which we gleaned from last years tour.

This pdf highlights the 6 most commonly found forms of inflexibility found by Stupid Aid participants and contains some suggestions of how we can over come stupidity.

To learn more or participate....click on this link to visit our website www.flexiblethinkingforum.org.uk