By Dan Marshall

Blue Monday sheds light on some of the things that get us down about winter

Jan 16, 2017 | 11:23 AM

NANAIMO — The idea that the third Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year isn’t exactly science.
 
In fact, the concept of Blue Monday was started by a travel company in 2005 as part of an advertising campaign.

Sky Travel was looking to obviously bolster their vacation bookings, but they did spawn a rather compelling equation for the most depressing day that included weather conditions, debt level, the time since Christmas, possibly failing resolutions, and low motivation levels.

The chair of the Vancouver Island University Psychology Department, Debbie Matheson, says factors like these do have the ability to affect our mood.

“I think there are a number of things we can do certainly to make us feel better as a result of it,” said Matheson. “Many people join a gym, and research says exercise is the best anti-depressant medication that you can take. We have Family Day coming up in February so if we have something we can plan ahead for then that’s a real positive.” 

According to Matheson some people also suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder this time of year.

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“It’s completely tied to the amount of daylight or sunshine that we’re exposed to. The further away we get from the equator the more likely we are to experience it. Absolutely it is something that people in Nanaimo experience. I would love to be able to provide a prescription for a tropical holiday to everybody – that would certainly help us out,” said Matheson.

Another way to combat symptoms of SAD is to buy some Christmas LED lights, make them into a bouquet and place them around your breakfast table. 

Sufferers of SAD may actually see some relief this year. According to Matheson the unusually cold weather has also brought with it some extra sunlight.