Monday, January 20, 2025

(It Doesn’t Have to Be a) Blue Monday

Have the winter blues? Here’s how to cope

Blue Monday. It’s not just a great song from the ’80s by New Order.

According to British psychologist Dr. Cliff Arnall (who coined the phrase), the third Monday of January is “the most depressing day of the year” based on winter weather, lack of sunlight, and post-holiday disappointment and debt.

Once the hustle and bustle of the holiday season has dwindled away and the Christmas tree is packed in its box for next year or dragged to the curb, readjusting to regular life and the return to busy work schedules without a festive event on the horizon can make you feel empty and sad. Add the fact that the holidays themselves can be busy, emotional, and a financial strain, and many of us are in for the perfect storm of feeling blue come January.

Think you have the January blues?

Here are some tell-tale signs:

You’re feeling anxious, irritable, moody, stressed, and/or depressed.
You have trouble sleeping.
You find yourself worrying about work more than usual.
You find yourself ruminating over problems or events that happened over the holiday season.

While self-care is always an important practice for your well-being, it’s worth taking stock of your mental health in the cold winter months when there’s less sunlight and festive events to boost your spirits.

If you’re feeling blue this January, here are three helpful hints on how to cope:

Check in with yourself early and address any negative feelings you’re experiencing head on. This will hopefully reduce the severity of your symptoms and shorten recovery time.
Don’t add pressure to yourself by piling on New Year’s resolutions. Instead, take this time to look ahead. Concentrate on any upcoming events in your calendar and map out the year ahead. If possible, schedule your vacations now to motivate yourself and give you something exciting to look forward to.
Establish (or reestablish) healthy habits to start the year off right: make sure you’re getting quality sleep, eating nutrient-dense meals, and getting some daily movement.

The post-holiday blues can range from disappointment and emptiness to a total lack of motivation and feelings of depression. If these feelings persist, don’t hesitate to reach out for help.

Mental Health Resources

If you or someone you know is in crisis or is in immediate danger, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital.
You can also call or text 988 anywhere in Canada to get connected to professional mental health and suicide prevention resources within seconds.
Members covered under a CLAC health benefits plan have access to immediate, free, and confidential help through the HumanaCare EFAP. Access it anytime by logging into your myCLAC account and clicking on My Health and Wellness.
If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health issue, CLAC has a number of resources and interactive tools available to help you in myCLAC under My Health and Wellness.
Stronger Minds (mindbeacon.com/strongerminds-home) features quick reads from mental health experts, activities to help you gain resilience, and ask-an-expert videos in response to questions.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) provides accessible, reliable, and professionally produced resources on an array of health topics including (but not limited to) addictions, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, depression, etc.
Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support (ca.portal.gs) provides free online resources, tools, apps, and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals.

(It Doesn’t Have to Be a) Blue Monday

Mental Health Resources

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