But mental health charity Oxfordshire Mind wanted to dispel Blue Monday as a “myth”.
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“No studies or evidence have proved any one calendar date is more gloomy than any others, and the formula linked with the calculation of such a date has no real scientific basis”, Snopes.com wrote past year to debunk the Blue Monday findings.
So, basically, we’re all broke, the weather sucks and we’ve just missed our morning gym session for the first time since our New Year’s resolutions – that all seems to check out, but is there really any science behind working out that a Monday in mid-January is a miserable day?
Back in 2005, holiday travel company Sky Travel coined the term using an equation which took into account factors such as debt levels and weather conditions, but it was never accepted by the medical community.
Today (January 18), we are supposed to feel the most glum – struck down by our post-Christmas finances, the bad weather and the long, long, long wait for the summer.
A survey by the Co-op found that 26% of British people claim that this month is when they feel the most isolated.
If you’re feeling down at the moment you’re probably not alone.
Professor Ed Watkins, a psychologist at University of Exeter, said: “There are all these cultural messages around Christmas and the New Year about goodwill to all people, the importance of spending time with close friends and family, having fun, and making new starts”.
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More than simple winter blues, SAD can be a debilitating illness.
