Forget Blue Monday and pivot to Hope Tuesday

If you're feeling the winter doldrums, experts say stay active, focus on positive

Canadian organizations are trying to turn the tide on the saddest day of the year after many Albertans just went through their saddest year.

Each year, the third Monday in January marks “Blue Monday” the so-called “saddest day of the year.”

Blue Monday began in the early 2000s as a marketing scheme when a U.k.-based travel company asked a psychologist to come up with a scientific formula for the January blues.

While there's little science backing the day, Margaret Eaton, national CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), said this time of year is still difficult for many people.

“There's post-holiday blues. So you know, the holiday's over so now what? People have gained weight, oftentimes, during the holidays, it's colder and darker,” said Eaton. “A lot of people have made New Year's resolutions but, this is around the time when people have just given up on their resolutions and for some people too it's the arrival of holiday bills.”

This year, the winter blues come after months of restrictions and worry over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eaton said CMHA found 42 per cent of Albertans have been worried about their mental health during the pandemic.

She said only 18 per cent of Albertans said they feel calm and 11 per cent of people in the province have had suicidal thoughts.

In response, she is urging people to remain active as a measure to improve their mental health.

“If you're working from home, you're not moving very much. It's hard to get outside. So we're really encouraging Canadians to move and that could mean going out for a walk ... turning on Youtube and listening to music and dancing,” said Eaton.

In Alberta, where organized sports are currently restricted, Eaton suggested people call each other while they walk or join a virtual fitness class together.

HOPE TUESDAY

Meanwhile, Shawn Stack, the Calgary-based vice-president of Bromwich and Smith, called Blue Monday into question, saying it's based on pseudo-science.

His financial consultation company released findings of an Alberta-based December survey last week saying 38 per cent of Albertans have embraced a slower pace of life and about 29 per cent have become more involved in their hobbies.

“We're looking at this in direct response to this idea of Blue Monday, which was a marketing scheme that was cooked up years ago by a travel agency,” said Stack.

“We wanted to sort of counterbalance that, with this idea of `Hope Tuesday' which is basically hope and focus on the future.”

He said he wanted to turn the narrative on Blue Monday and focus on the positive.

Stack said the start of a new year is a great time to work toward becoming financially stable and look forward to what is to come.

“It's always darkest before the storm. So, it's really important to remember that we're coming through this, the vaccine's coming, things are going to get better and it's important for us to now focus on what are the things that we have hope for,” said Stack.