Today is Miserable Monday. Here’s how to turn it around

To make matters worse, today is Miserable Monday, the most depressing day of the year, according to a formula devised by the psychologist Dr Cliff Arnalls, which considers debt, post-Christmas doldrums, faltering New Year resolutions and low motivation at work.

To add to our woes, if the sociologists are to be believed, Scots are traditionally good at negativity. Blame it on the John Knox effect, but Scots seem to have a talent for finding a perverse joy in misery.

But, with a bit of effort, it's far from beyond us to turn this brand-new year around, shaking off the negative thoughts and getting ready to fight back.

A laudable aim, says Edinburgh-based life coach Ron Mills, but remember - the most important thing is to take one step at a time. "People feel bad when they set themselves six goals at the beginning of the year and can't reach them," he explains.

"They need to be realistic. Starting with just one, and only adding another when they achieved that would be a much more effective way of achieving something."

Key to increasing all-round well-being, he advises, is getting right back to basics, making sure you are eating well, drinking plenty of water to hydrate both body and mind, and taking gentle exercise.

"Another essential is your physiology," he says. "You want to be sitting with your shoulders back and breathing from deep down. This can actually improve your mental state.

"If you are at work all day, try to go for a brief walk at some point, and if you are bored or tired, walk away from your desk for a few minutes as it breaks the flow of negative energy."

Though research proves time and time again that taking exercise, which releases endorphins, is one of the single most effective things you can do to raise your mood, it can be chronically hard to motivate yourself even to drive to the gym when the rain is lashing against the window.

As for running or outdoor sports, you can pretty much forget it until spring.

The trick is in the presentation. Dance classes - from salsa to street - can be a fun way of meeting new people as well as raising your heart rate. Some doctors are even prescribing them not only to fight obesity, but also to help manage depression.

If that's not to your taste, there are plenty of other options, such as a day at the climbing wall or indoor ski-slope, or having a game of football with your friends.

After all that activity, it is comforting to know that pampering ourselves occasionally, whether it's a massage, a manicure or a long hot bath to release tension and make you feel special, also comes highly recommended.

"It's about letting someone take the load for a while," says Mills.

"A bit like being mothered."

Relaxed and rejuvenated, it's time to think about the bigger picture. Essential to our overall happiness, according to psychologist Professor Stephen Joseph from Nottingham University, is the ability to turn around negative thought patterns and appreciate what is going right in our lives.

"There is a growing amount of research to show that people who are more grateful and more appreciative of life tend to be the happiest," he explains. "The results are very striking."

He advocates that people write down three things they feel grateful or good about at the end of each day. After several months, the process of positive thinking becomes a habit and the benefits are wide-reaching.

"It seems to be that grateful people have stronger support networks," he adds. "They feel more able to seek help, and to receive it."

The ability to forgive and to hold on to hope are other important factors, which go some way towards explaining why people who practise a religion score higher levels of happiness in most surveys.

Carol Craig, director of Glasgow's Centre for Confidence and Wellbeing, is also a great believer in the power of positivity but she is aware of how difficult it can be for people not to fall into the trap of low self-esteem in a culture in which we are under mounting pressure to achieve perfection.

"So much in western culture is about looking at what we don't have," she says. "Most people are very aware that we are living in a celebrity culture, partly fuelled by women's magazines, that offers up lifestyles that can be quite negative for people.

"We therefore have to take steps to try to inoculate ourselves from this."

In this, social networks provided by partners, friends, family and neighbours are vital, a point underlined by the findings of a recent governmental report on wellbeing.

"We are hard-wired to be in relationships with people," Craig observes. "Yet, in our society, more and more people are living on their own. In this situation it is important to make constructive use of leisure time and to participate in different activities."

And her message for TV addicts is unlikely to be universally well-received.

"People spend a lot of time watching television but even when they are tuning in to programmes they like and want to watch, their mood afterwards tends to be more apathetic," she says.

"I can absolutely understand the temptation of coming home from work, having dinner and slumping in front of it, but it becomes a source of dissatisfaction and many people don't even realise it."

Instead, it is better to opt for activities that are conducive to achieving "flow" - the mental state in which someone is fully immersed in what they are doing - be it new hobbies, or finding fulfilment at work.

Unfortunately, the modern workplace is not always geared towards creating a nurturing environment in which employees are encouraged to achieve their potential.

As working hours become ever longer, many feel increasingly frustrated by the lack of purpose they perceive in their lives. Research also proves the adage is true - money can't buy happiness. After our basic living needs are met, those extra pounds don't statistically bring as much satisfaction as we might expect.

But there's no need to hand in your notice just yet. If your job is less than fulfilling, David Maxwell, co-ordinator at the Volunteer Centre, Glasgow, claims that offering your skills for free to help a good cause can be a great way of creating a greater sense of satisfaction and self-worth.

"There are huge benefits," he says. "It definitely increases people's confidence, self-esteem and their sense of wellbeing."

The idea that volunteer opportunities are always in dusty church halls is outdated, too. Sports coaching, conservation work or serving as a board member on a national charity are just some of the options.

Finally, don't forget to have fun. Research points to the importance of mixing long-term goals with short-term pleasures if you want to get the most out of life, so live it up a little.