Singing the blahs

Atlantic Canadians are probably sick of hearing about how depressed and gloomy we all feel at this time of year. Or arguments that if we’re not, then we should be, especially this week with the arrival of Blue Monday. The third Monday of January is gaining increased traction as a milestone, 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 over, holiday bills are pouring in, New Year’s resolutions are getting tossed out, and colds and flu are taking an annoying toll on our health.

Those are good reasons to have a case of the blahs.

But Blue Monday could just be a clever marketing campaign to get us thinking about breaking away for a fun holiday in the sun. Another theory offers a mathematical formula that combines economic, social and meteorological factors 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 we shouldn’t so easily dismiss. So forget the advertising campaigns and formulas and pay attention to very real symptoms which might suggest that mental health risk factors are affecting our friends, family, co-workers or classmates.

Sure there are people who appreciate the changing seasons, with their variety and unique challenges, especially winter. There is so much to do and see in Atlantic Canada on beautiful winter days — skiing, skating, sliding and snowshoeing, hockey tournaments and winter carnivals.

Anyone who wakes up to the stillness of a fresh snowfall and is unable to fully enjoy Mother Nature’s artistry is truly missing out — fences and poles decked out in tall, white hats, wires with marshmallow coating, buildings like gingerbread houses. The imperfections of man covered — if only temporarily — by the perfection of nature. But the fact is, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real condition where the lack of sunlight at this time of year can affect people’s moods. Some are more vulnerable than others to depression that follows a seasonal pattern. Symptoms include sadness, 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 at this time of the year — Bell’s Let’s Talk Day on Jan. 31. The event raises millions of dollars in support of mental health issues and community programs, such as suicide prevention and intervention.

We need to recognize that not everyone among us will experience the epiphany that weatherman Phil Connors did 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.”

But who knows — maybe there’s room for optimism. Maybe, when Groundhog Day arrives in two weeks, we might hear a prediction of an early end to winter and we can say goodbye to those seasonal blues.