Nature’s wonder
Atlantic Canadians are getting it from all sides — constant arguments and opinions in recent days that we are feeling depressed and gloomy. If we’re not, then we should be, especially this week, which launched with the arrival of Blue Monday.
The third Monday of January is gaining increased traction each year, as experts try to convince us it’s the most miserable day on the calendar. After all, winter has taken firm hold, the festive season is fading, holiday bills are pouring in, New Year’s resolutions are quickly disappearing and colds and flu are taking an annoying toll on our health.
Those are good reasons to feel depressed. Blue Monday could just be a clever marketing campaign to get us thinking about a holiday for some fun in the sun. Another theory offers a mathematical formula by combining economic, social and meteorological facts and figures to pinpoint mid-January as a time to pull the bedcovers up a little higher and tighter.
But there are valid scientific and medical arguments that shouldn’t be so easily dismissed. Forget the advertising campaigns and formulas and pay attention to symptoms, which might suggest mental health risk factors affecting our friends, family, co-workers or classmates.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real condition where weather affects people’s moods. Some are more vulnerable than others to depression that follows a seasonal pattern. SAD symptoms include sadness, lowered moods, fatigue, apathy and poor diet.
It’s no coincidence that one of the most important events to draw attention to mental health issues takes place this time of the year with Bell’s Let’s Talk Day on Wednesday, Jan. 31. The event raises millions of dollars in support of mental health issues and community programs, such as suicide prevention and intervention.
There are many who appreciate the excitement of the changing seasons — their variety and challenges, especially winter. There is so much to do and see in Atlantic Canada on these beautiful winter days — recreational pursuits, music events, hockey tournaments, winter carnivals and weekend getaways abound.
Anyone waking up Thursday morning and failing to enjoy the incredible delight of a winter wonderland across much of the region failed to appreciate Mother Nature’s artistry. Fences and poles were decked out in tall, white top hats, wires had marshmallow coats, and downy blankets covered branches and limbs. Buildings resembled gingerbread houses. The imperfections of man were covered — if only temporarily — by the perfection of nature.
Who knows? When Groundhog Day arrives in two weeks, we might hear a prediction of an early end to winter and Grinches can say goodbye to those seasonal blues.
Or as weatherman Phil Connors — fresh from his winter epiphany — romanticized in the closing scenes of Groundhog Day: “. . . may we overlook the bleak aspects of this season and accept that winter is another cycle of nature’s wonder. And as we bask in the warmth of hearts and hearths . . . we can’t imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter.”