Coping with ‘Blue Monday’? How Calgarians deal with ‘unofficial’ most depressing day of the year

Have you been feeling a little blue lately? Well, you’re not alone.

The third Monday in January has come to be known as Blue Monday — unofficially dubbed the most depressing day of the year.

There is no scientific basis for that title, and it actually started as a clever marketing tactic by a travel company.

Regardless, it has caught on, and Canadians, especially Albertans, can relate to feeling the winter blues.

“I think this year, I don’t know why it’s hit me a little bit harder. I think for me, I’m someone who thrives on sunshine,” Marie Nunziata, a fitness and wellness studio owner in Calgary, tells CityNews.

“So the shorter days — getting up when it’s dark, going home it’s dark by 4:30 p.m. — I definitely notice a little bit less energy or drive to want to do things.”

New Calgarian Duchess Makasa also feels the turn, even after being in Canada for over 10 years.

“I feel like the first couple of years was extremely tough. As soon as winter was coming, summer was ending, and I was already dreading it. I was like, ‘I need to leave,'” she said with a laugh.

Winter months are cold, with short days and long nights, and the feeling arrives after the festive and demanding holiday season has come and gone.

Now, what you’re left with are the bills and New Year’s resolutions that may be hard to maintain, explains Aaron Tamayose, a registered psychologist.

“I think the biggest thing is that when we get out of our normal routines around the holiday season, we start to lose track of the routines that keep us in order, that make us feel like we have structure and predictability in our days,” he said in an interview.

He stresses that having a couple of low days doesn’t mean something is wrong — our mood fluctuates naturally based on a variety of factors.

“It’s influenced by a lot of the things that we’re doing in terms of the environments we’re engaging in, the behaviours we have — sleep, our own expectations,” Tamayose said.

“I think rather than focusing on one day, it’s about creating more protective habits in the days and weeks ahead.”

He says that if the low feelings persist and start affecting daily functioning, then it’s important to reach out to a mental health professional.

Nunziata also expresses how the feelings are temporary to her clients.

“This will pass, whatever it is that you’re going through. Our emotions are like waves; they come and go, we just gotta ride the waves,” she said.

Her mother, Deborah Nunziata, who is also a registered psychologist, says to invite the feeling and let it go, acknowledging it’s temporary.

“I don’t want people to think that it’s not okay to be blue either. I don’t want it to be just one day, because the world is not being happy or feeling well every day, right? So it’s just that idea that you are blue any day of the year, that’s okay,” she said.

“Just sit in it for a while, let that feeling in, invite it for a coffee, have a conversation and then let it go.”

Something to look forward to — the days are getting longer, and we’re moving towards more light in our days, with the sun setting just after 5 p.m.