Blue Monday is upon us — and while the catchily named “saddest day of the year” was originally concocted by a travel company to sell sunny holidays, there’s a reason it gained traction.
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, the third Monday in darkest, coldest January is objectively grim. We’re emotionally and financially depleted from the holidays, bearing that toxic Q1 mix of misplaced optimism and outsized self-pressure. And that’s before you pile on the existential burdens of the state of the world right now: the idea of World War Three being tossed around; frighteningly convincing AI making the very fabric of reality feel slippery.
If you’re furiously double-tapping on all those social media soothsayers claiming the new lunar year will usher in magical change and rapid improvement with the arrival of the Year of the Horse in February, you’re not alone.
So what can we do to get through these dark days? We tapped two well-being experts for their practical, concrete tips; tried-and-tested things they actually do themselves to boost their own mood.
Her’s what they suggested.
Resist the urge to nap
For all our gene-editing technology and AIs that can write screenplays, humans are working with the same basic biology as the grizzly bear.
“The lack of daylight — and where we live, sunlight more specifically — affects our bodies and our brains in very particular ways,” says clinical psychologist Dr. Diana Brecher, positive psychology scholar-in-residence at Toronto Metropolitan University. “There’s a serotonin drop, a melatonin increase, our circadian rhythms shift. These are physiological things that are not within our control. What is in our control are the choices we make.”
One such choice is to resist our inner hibernating bear, which is essentially what we become when winter hits in the Northern Hemisphere. “You’re in a cave, you’re sleeping most of the time, you’re not socializing,” Brecher said. “What you have to do is make a concerted effort to not do those things.”
Specifically, resist the urge to take naps in the afternoon, said Brecher. “You’re actually depriving yourself of daylight, and you’re increasing the likelihood that you’ll go to bed later and sleep later.”
Go toward the light
Maximizing your exposure to light is key. Brecher, who worked on a study looking into the positive effect of light on mood over 30 years ago, is fanatical about making sure she gets enough light exposure.
“That means I’m sitting near a window if I’m inside, and making sure I go for walks outside, even when the weather isn’t good,” she said. “Even if it’s grey and gloomy, you’re still getting an increase in your serotonin and a decrease in your melatonin.” (Crudely speaking, that’s your happy hormone going up and the one that controls when you sleep going down.)
If your environment doesn’t allow for much natural light exposure — say, you often leave for work and come home in the dark — Dr. Andrea Iaboni, a geriatric psychiatrist and senior scientist at UHN’s KITE Research Institute, can sympathize.
“Because I’m a busy physician, I can often not see the sun at all,” she said. “I often use light therapy in the morning to help me reset my natural rhythm.”
She’ll often have breakfast sitting next to a therapy lamp, essentially a very bright light that mimics the sun. “If I do morning exercise, I might set it up in front of my exercise bike instead.”
Reconsider comfort foods
It gives us no pleasure to say this, but the comfort foods we crave in mid-winter could be contributing to our January blues.
“Even though you’re craving pasta and chocolate, those things that give you quick energy, go toward the Mediterranean diet,” said Brecher. “Salad, vegetables, healthy things will help.”
Her January menu looks like yoghurt, fruit and granola for breakfast; lunch is salad with a protein like an egg or tuna; and dinner will be protein and vegetables, maybe in the form of a hearty soup.
Iaboni also avoids too many carbs, and is conscious about getting enough Vitamin D, because low levels can be linked to low mood.
“We don’t make much Vitamin D in our bodies in the winter, because it depends on sunlight,” she said. “I try to either get Vitamin D-rich foods — trout, salmon, oily fish — or foods that have Vitamin D added to them, like milk or yoghurt.”
She also takes a Vitamin D supplement every day. “If you’re 50 or over, you should take 400 units of Vitamin D3,” she said, citing the Health Canada guidelines. “They say that if you’re younger than 50 and you don’t get a lot of dietary Vitamin D, you probably should also supplement with about 400 units.”
Schedule fun, ideally with a friend
Iaboni knows that she’ll have much less motivation to go out and do things in the winter. So she plans for that ahead of time.
“I’m very purposeful about finding activities that I enjoy and making sure that I schedule them into my routine,” she said. “I will sign-up for exercise or art classes, things that I know, once scheduled, will motivate me to stay busy and active.” This January, she’s committed to a twice-weekly gym class and cooking classes.
Crucially, these aren’t solo pursuits. “We know that social activity, in particular group activity, is important because they give structure, purpose and stimulate your brain in a positive way,” she said.
Bonus points if a group activity involves exercise: Iaboni says research shows just 20 minutes of physical activity can have antidepressant effects. “When people shut down and hibernate for the winter and don’t do these activities, that’s when mood can really start to drop.”
It doesn’t have to be complicated: Brecher has a long-standing weekly catch-up with a friend. “Oftentimes, we’re not even in the same place, but we’ll get on the phone and go for a walk and talk to each other,” she said.
Make sure you don’t give up on things you love — whether that’s your book club or volunteering or reformer Pilates — just because it’s cold out. “Keep doing the things that sustain you and make you feel like life is worth living,” Brecher said. “The instinct is to pull back, but the best way forward is to just keep your life going.”
Let music and books transport you
For the days when you just can’t face -30 and black ice, make it a priority to do things that you enjoy. “I’m always in a novel,” said Brecher, who most recently enjoyed “Code of Justice” by Stacey Abrams. “For someone else that might be playing a musical instrument, or art, or their favourite show. Whatever it is, build in and count upon the things you really love to do, and look forward to them.”
If all else fails? Make a playlist. “I have high energy music that I associate with specific times in my life that were really quite wonderful. I just play them and it’s very uplifting,” Brecher said. “Music can be a pathway to feeling just a little lighter, more hopeful.”
Avoid doomscrolling
For the January darkness that has more to do with the terrifying state of the world around us, compartmentalization is how Brecher copes. “I have a very curious mind, but don’t want to know things all the time,” she said. “I’ll read [the news], listen to podcasts, and then I put it away, and I focus on the gratitude I have for living in this beautiful world.”
Iaboni actually puts physical guardrails in place to prevent doomscrolling. “I do have screen time limits on my phone for any apps where I’m at risk of falling down a hole,” she said. “My time limit is 15 minutes — enough time to find out what’s happening in the world, but it stops me from just looking for more and more bad news.”
Even as you take steps to help yourself feel better, don’t feel bad for feeling bad.
“Be patient with yourself. You’re not going to suddenly snap out of your blues,” said Iaboni. “Make positive steps gradually, and you’ll find your mood will improve gradually. There’s not a light switch to turn your mood on and off.”
