What is Blue Monday, the so-called most depressing day of the year?

Every year, much of the media focuses on a specific day – the third Monday in January – as the most depressing of the year. It has become known as Blue Monday, but it’s a myth.

Yes, the comedown after Christmas – overeating, overspending and failed New Year’s resolutions – can give people a case of the doldrums. But the concept of Blue Monday was dreamed up by marketing executives who were trying to persuade people to book their next vacation. But the idea of Blue Monday seems to have stuck.

Mental health experts say there’s no such thing as Blue Monday. They say it’s pointless trying to identify the most depressing day of the year as it would be different for each one of us. But it does give us an opportunity to discuss mental health and how we can take steps to alleviate our mood.

How to beat Blue Monday

Psychologist Kari Leibowitz is a Fulbright scholar who says we should look to Scandinavia, where people live with some of the darkest, longest winters and yet are consistently ranked as the happiest people in the world. Leibowitz moved to Tromso, Norway, to see how people thrived through the long winters. She says embracing a “winter mindset” is key, and that people in Norway see winter as a time for opportunities and enjoyment, rather than a time to dread. Leibowitz discovered a concept called “friluftsliv” – or open-air living – and says it’s important to wrap up warm and get outside to feel the elements.

Doctors around the world are now prescribing a dose of nature to help people stay well. Marc Berman, a psychologist from the University of Chicago, says there is solid evidence that increased exposure to nature improves our physical and mental health. Access to nature improves sleep, reduces stress, increases happiness and reduces negative emotions. Being in green spaces can also boost our cognitive function, including focus and attention, memory and creativity, in people both with and without depression.

The Japanese have long been promoting the benefits of being in nature. The term “forest bathing” emerged in Japan as a practice called shinrin-yoku, or “taking in the forest atmosphere.” Forest bathing has now caught on around the world as a way for people to reconnect with themselves and nature. In Canada, the British Columbia Parks Foundation cites research that shows sitting in a forest for just 15 minutes, observing nature while breathing deeply, can reduce your cortisol levels and heart rate variability – while sitting on an urban street does nothing.

Charities like A Dose of Nature in the UK have been set up to encourage people to sign up to a “nature prescription,” and academics from Exeter University are trying to measure the optimum amount of time people need to be outside to experience the benefits. According to their research, at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. Walking and exercising in the fresh air is a wonderful way to boost our mental health; but even sitting on a bench and being immersed in the beauty of Nature can be restorative.

Let the sunshine in

A positive mindset and a dose of nature can go some way to help us deal with the short, dark days of winter. Research published in the New Scientist magazine says sunshine may also help ward off deadly infections. Many of us now spend up to 90 percent of our lives indoors and our retinas are bombarded with artificial light late into the evening, according to the publication. Reduced exposure to natural daylight can knock our circadian rhythms out of sync. So, it’s important to get enough daylight during the winter months.

Nourishing ourselves on the inside – with the right food and drink – is important too. Zurich has also been exploring the link between our gut health and mental health. Often referred to as the ‘second brain,’ our digestive system can affect our immunity and resilience to stress, both of which can affect our mood through what is known as the gut-brain connection.

Go beyond self-care

Self-care is vital, but caring for others can be transformative for our sense of belonging and purpose. Jamil Zaki, professor of psychology at Stanford University, said in a statement that the pandemic gives us a chance to shape the future in a different way: “During disasters, people realize how much they need each other and want to help one another. Mutual aid groups, mask wearing and social distancing have all demonstrated our ability to protect others as well as ourselves.”

Zaki calls this prosocial behavior, “catastrophe compassion,” and says people care more for others than themselves during moments when it matters most. But he also warns that after the pandemic, a return to business as usual might not be good for our mental health. Writing in The Atlantic, Zaki says: “Self-care alone won’t fulfill people’s psychological needs as we rebound from the pandemic. After many months in relative isolation, we must reclaim connection and meaning. That comes not just from caring for ourselves, but also from caring for one another.”

Bye bye, Blue Monday

Blue Monday may be a myth and a marketing ploy, but some mental health charities are reframing it as an opportunity to talk positively about ways to reduce loneliness and isolation. The Samaritans – one of the oldest mental health charities in the UK and part of the international network Befrienders Worldwide – has given Blue Monday the boot and transformed it into Brew Monday.

Rachel Cackett, Executive Director of Samaritans Scotland, says: “While there’s no hard evidence to suggest that Blue Monday really is the most depressing day of the year, I’m sure that many of us may be finding things difficult at the moment. The need to look after our mental health and stay connected has rarely felt more pressing – or more challenging.”

And drinking tea is good for you too - for both body and mind. Green tea contains powerful antioxidants that may lift mood, improve focus and ward off depression. Korean researchers reported that in a healthy population, those Koreans who habitually drank green tea were 21 percent less likely to develop depression over their lifetime than non-tea drinkers.

So, if you’re looking for a cure for the winter doldrums, you don’t need to travel to a far-flung destination or fling yourself at a gym class. You could simply take a flask of tea and discover a place of beauty in your own backyard.