Blue Monday, the third Monday in January, is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year. It’s also probably the time that we realise our New Year’s resolutions may not be achievable, yet again.
But there is one commitment that you should make, that could transform your wellbeing not just in 2026 but has the power to change your life. It’s how you think about yourself and the process of ageing. So, make Blue Monday the trigger for positive “you” thinking.
In 1944, songwriters Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen captured this perfectly, “accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative”, and decades later, L’Oréal echoed the same sentiment with its iconic line, “Because I’m worth it.”
The messages are nurturing a happy mind and being good to yourself – the cornerstones for a healthier, longer life.
YOUR MINDSET MATTERS MORE THAN YOU THINK
A happy mind is one of the most powerful drivers of long‑term health and well-being.
Psychologist and ageing researcher Becca Levy, from Yale University, has spent years studying the impact of age beliefs on health and has shown that people with more positive self‑perceptions of ageing lived, on average, 7.5 years longer than those with more negative views, even after accounting for other factors.
In fact, this impact was even greater than either smoking or obesity, which is extraordinary.
This isn’t about blind optimism, it’s about recognising that the way we consider ourselves – consciously and unconsciously – shapes our behaviour, our biology, and ultimately our future health.
AN AGELESS MINDSET
As we age, many people quietly begin recalibrating their health baseline.
- They normalise pain.
- They accept low energy.
- They delay appointments.
- They stop prioritising prevention.
But ageing should not mean caring less about your health. If anything, it should mean caring more.
We have more life experience, more self‑knowledge, and often more control over our time. Yet outdated beliefs about ageing that we experienced as we grew up can subtly undermine this.
Research shows that people who see themselves as “ageless” – who continue to have clear purpose, passion and curiosity – tend to have better physical function, including hearing and balance, and improved cognition.
In contrast, those who believe “it’s all downhill after 40” and decline is inevitable often disengage from self‑care and normalise their symptoms and, as a result, ignore early warning signs and delay seeking medical advice.
Ageing is shaped as much by perception as it is by biology. When decline is expected, it becomes accepted. And when it is accepted, it accelerates.
Your mindset shapes your actions. Your actions shape your healthspan.
OPTIMISM BEATS PESSIMISM
When it comes to health and longevity, optimists consistently outperform pessimists.
Why? Because optimists tend to believe, “I matter enough to look after myself.” That belief influences everyday decisions.
Optimists are more resilient. They are more likely to view setbacks as temporary and solvable rather than permanent and personal. They tend to be more socially connected, more physically active, and more engaged with their health.
Studies also show that optimists are more likely to follow medical advice, adhere to treatment, and believe recovery is possible. That expectation alone can improve outcomes – the placebo effect.
Pessimism, by contrast, is often associated with withdrawal, loneliness, delayed action, emotional eating, excess alcohol use, and chronic stress. The unconscious “why bother?” mindset slowly erodes health over time.
And small decisions, repeated daily, add up over the years, to become a predictor of faster biological ageing.
STRESS AND MODERN LIFE
Stress itself is not the enemy. In short bursts, the “fight or flight” response is essential for survival. It helps us escape danger, build muscle, trigger mTOR (cell protection), adapt to challenge, and be resilient.
Problems arise when stress becomes chronic – when the nervous system never gets the chance to switch off.
Chronic stress is toxic and one of the biggest drivers of modern disease. It disrupts sleep, drives insulin resistance, fuels inflammation, and increases the risk of anxiety, burnout, and depression. It’s also a catalyst that undermines health: overeating, inactivity, poor medication adherence, healthcare avoidance, and excess alcohol use.
There’s also a strong relationship between chronic stress and pessimistic thinking.
Positive thinking does not remove stress, but changes how you relate to it. The belief “I can control how I respond”, or “this is not personal” calms the nervous system and reduces the physiological impact, and over time protects both our mental and physical health.
HABITS BEAT WILLPOWER
Relying on motivation is exhausting – and unsustainable.
Habits beat willpower, as they’re automatic. Habits reduce decision fatigue, lower stress, and build trust in yourself.
You don’t debate whether to brush your teeth. You just do it. The same principle can apply to good sleep practices, regular movement, quality nutrition, and general self‑care. Over time, boring consistency beats bursts of enthusiasm.
Healthy habits create virtuous circles. They reinforce positive thinking and the belief that you are worth looking after.
A SIMPLE 2026 PLAN FOR POSITIVE THINKING
Here’s a four-week positive thinking plan, which can be a template for your own plan.
WEEK 1: AWARENESS AND IDENTITY
- Write down who you want to be in 5 years – create an identity associated with what you want to be doing in 10 or 20 years. Place this somewhere visible.
- Log your eating, sleeping and activity, as well as each time you delay or avoid self‑care.
- Each day, interrupt one negative thought with a neutral reframe: “This is something I can influence.”
WEEK 2: SMALL ACTIONS THAT BUILD SELF‑WORTH
- Write down two things you are grateful for each day.
- Make one small nutritional change – add a wholefood or remove an ultra-processed food from your diet.
- Think about your sleep, which affects mood, eating and activity. A good night’s sleep can transform how you feel. What three changes could you make?
- Book one preventive health appointment you have been delaying.
WEEK 3: STRENGTH AND LEARNING
- Get up 30 minutes earlier and go for a walk. The morning light helps reset your circadian rhythm, and movement is great for the body.
- Add 20 minutes of resistance training twice a week. Maintaining muscle mass is critical for healthy ageing and cognitive health. The resistance should be just enough to challenge your muscles.
- Learn one evidence‑based fact about ageing that challenges the decline‑focused myths. Share this with a friend.
WEEK 4: REFLECT AND REFINE
- Ask yourself: “Do I feel any better?” Notice any changes in energy, mood, confidence, and stress.
- List the three obstacles you believe are getting in the way of creating your new identity.
- Think about how to make the habit prompt more obvious, or how to stack the habit alongside an established one.
After 30 days, you won’t be finished, but you’ll have something more powerful than motivation: evidence.
A FINAL WORD
Whilst it’s Blue Monday outside. Make this a trigger for positive “you” thinking. Research shows that this can add years to life. Those who are optimistic, who have an “ageless” mindset, who can manage stress and have established healthy habits, are primed to live well.
Change is not always easy, but when it is broken down into baby steps, and you feel in control and rewarded, it’s possible.
If there’s one meaningful resolution, let it be this: make 2026 the year of positivity with three steps towards a happier mind. Map the journey and share it with the people you love.
Download and try our App. This will measure your biological age and give you a pathway of small steps you can take to live a longer, healthier and happier life.
