How to survive Blue Monday this year

Some say it may be the most depressing day of the year, but Blue Monday falls this year on January 15.

While there’s no science backing up that it’s the most depressing day of the year, most experts believe the winter months can present challenges for the mental health of many people, due to a multitude of reasons including bills from the holidays and a lack of sunlight.

Dr. Michael Mak, a psychiatrist and sleep specialist with CAMH, said the term Blue Monday was actually first coined by a travel company.

“Blue Monday is actually a marketing ploy that was invented by a British travel company to prompt more travel,” said Dr. Mak.

However, it’s not far off how people are feeling.

“What they did get right is the fact that during this time of year, the winter months, particularly January, when it’s very gloomy and dark out, the lack of natural sunlight exposure causes us to feel maybe a little bit more depressed, a little bit less happy than, compared to usual.”

Dr. Mak said this can affect up to 30 per cent of Canadians, especially with the high number of cloudy days so far this winter. He shares how to help combat those blues.

“One great tip for everybody that wants to conquer Blue Monday and stay happy during these gloomy times, expose yourself to natural bright light,” said Dr. Mak.

This means turning on all the lights in your home, and if that’s not enough, invest in a seasonal affective disorder light that has a minimum brightness of 10,000 lux.

“If you expose yourself to that kind of light, 30 minutes a day in the morning, you’re going to feel much better,” said Dr. Mak.

When asked about taking Vitamin D supplements, Dr. Mak said it could help if you have a deficit, but “we don’t have evidence that taking the vitamin D will make you feel better during the winter months. The light exposure is the key here.”

As a sleep specialist, Dr. Mak said a lack of sleep can also exasperate the effects of seasonal affective disorder.

“There’s a bidirectional relationship between sleep and mood. If you have a bad mood, you might have bad sleep, but vice versa, bad sleep equals bad mood,” he said, adding bright light exposure also helps with this.

“Having that bright light exposure, particularly in the winter months in the morning, that stabilizes your internal body clock allows you to sleep better and maybe have a better mood overall.”

Dr. Mak said he practices what he preaches when it comes to making himself feel better in the winter months.

“When I wake up in the morning. I have all my lights on. I have a sad lamp at home just to keep my mood happy through these gloomy winter months,” said Dr. Mak. “What I like to do is to keep a regular schedule waking up every day at the same time and going to bed when I’m feeling sleepy and those tips will help keep us happy through these gloomy winter months.”

He adds it helps to acknowledge this is a tough time of year for everyone so reaching out to friends and family is important.

“Reaching out to friends and family, that’s a great way to ensure that your mood is fine, but also keeping a barometer on each other. This is a great time to ask your friends and family if they’re doing well and if they’re suffering from some seasonal depression, offering them support.”

If you need help, CAMH has put together a Blue Monday guide that provides more resources and tips.