blue monday might be a marketing stunt, but seasonal affective disorder is very real
the third monday of january is widely regarded as the “saddest day of the year.” the sentiment of sadness was aptly named blue monday, but not by scientists or doctors.
4 minute read
the onset of seasonal depression happens, for many people, during the months of december, january, and february—and blue monday is smack dab in the middle of it.
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the third monday of january is widely regarded as the “saddest day of the year.” the sentiment of sadness was aptly named blue monday, but not by scientists or doctors.
the term was actually invented by sky travel, a british travel company, in the hopes that telling people they’re expected to be sad around this day would make for better sales and more trips to exotic and sunny destinations, promising the escape from the blues.
today, almost all travel agencies and health and wellness brands continue to profit from the pr stunt by perpetuating the idea that blue monday marks a time of the year when special attention needs to be paid to increased feelings of depression people in the northern hemisphere experience during the winter.
dr. michael mak, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist at the centre for addiction and mental health (camh), understands how the term took off, even if it’s not scientifically or medically accurate.
“some people started thinking that it was legitimate, that it was scientifically proven that the third monday of january is the most depressing day of the year. there’s no scientific fact that supports that,” he said. “that being said, what is true is that for countries like ours and the united kingdom, right? we’re north of the equator, and january, february, december are going to be months where we get way less light exposure compared to the summer months, right? so, as a consequence of not having as much light exposure during the morning, particularly, people become more depressed en masse.”
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so, while it’s not true that blue monday exists, the increased feelings of depression during the winter months can be very real.
seasonal depression and blue monday
seasonal affective disorder (sad) affects roughly one-third of all canadians. the mood disorder is marked by feeling less joy, enjoyment, and happiness than what is typical, and its severity ranges.
“the person might have symptoms like not enjoying things they like, feeling depressed most days for two weeks straight, having problems with appetite, with sleep, with low energy, with poor concentration, and in worst cases, feeling that life isn’t isn’t worth continuing,” he said. “but what i’m seeing is that 10 to 15 per cent of canadians will have a version of that that’s more mild and doesn’t get in the way of your life.”
subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder (s-sad) is the milder form of sad affecting those 10 to 15 per cent. a smaller number of people will experience the more severe form of sad, and it will lead to interference with their ability to function in everyday life.
“it’s three to five per cent of canadians,” he said.
the onset of seasonal depression happens, for many people, during the months of december, january, and february—and blue monday is smack dab in the middle of it.
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however, people who experience seasonal depression, or even consistent depression, aren’t going to be sadder on that day because that’s simply not how it works.
“imagine some guy is like, ‘hey, you know what, next tuesday you’re going to feel super depressed.’ you would be like, who is this guy? get out of here,” said dr. mak, concluding that no one day is going to bring on more depression. it’s either sad or consistent depression that amps up during the winter months.
coping with the effects of sad
with blue monday being a highly debunked day, people may feel differently when it rolls around. but as dr. mak noted, people who live with depression, whether seasonal or year-round, aren’t going to be able to feel less sad just because tuesday rolls around and they’re safe from blue monday for another year.
dr. mak notes that in the northern hemisphere countries, people experience sad due to one significant change: a lack of light exposure.
coping with the effects of sad can be challenging as well, especially if you fall into the one to five per cent who get severe symptoms. but there are ways to cope, and it could be as simple as lighting up your life.
“the first treatment that we tell people to try is to expose themselves to sunlight if the sun is out. but if it’s gloomy, like today, it’s snowing, there’s no sun, then you might choose to expose yourself to those bright lights, sad lamps that you can get online,” he said. “you can get (them) at costco, you can it at walmart. they have a minimum brightness of 10,000 lux, and then if you expose yourself to that for half an hour first thing upon awakening, your mood will improve.”
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these lights improve mood because they help stabilize the body’s internal clock, increasing energy and fostering feelings of happiness. dr. mack also notes that people with consistent depression may experience heightened symptoms around this time of year. if they do, exercise can also be an excellent way to combat the amplified feelings of sadness.
if the symptoms are particularly severe, the next stop is reaching out to someone for help.
“socializing with friends or family on a regular basis will probably make you happier, but if those things (light, exercise, socializing) don’t work, then you should ask to see your doctor,” he said.
blue monday may have started as a profit-driven pr stunt, but just because it’s not real doesn’t mean it has to be written off altogether.
“it’s not the most depressing day of the year, but it is a nice reminder for us to check in with our friends and family during this time in case people that we’re close with have these issues and we can help them out,” he said.
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