What is Blue Monday?

'Blue Monday' falls the third Monday of January and is considered to be the most depressing day of the year, but it doesn't have to be!

Originating back in 2005, Blue Monday was first brought to our attention by a travel company, who asked psychologist, Cliff Arnal for a 'scientific forumla' for the January blues.

It takes into account many things like post-festive blues, bad weather and low motivation levels.

While this may not be true for everyone, January is often a month when many feel low and unmotivated, which cold weather and shorter days can be blamed for. 

Whilst winter can affect our mood or cause changes in our lifestyle, some simple tips can get us feeling on track and on top of the world in no time.

How does winter affect our mood?

Lack of vitamin D

One of the main ways winter can worsen our mental health is the lack of vitamin D from sunlight, which has been considered to improve emotional regulation and prevent mental health conditions.

Between the months of April and September, most people should get all of the Vitamin D they need from sunlight, but during the Autumn and Winter months, it’s more difficult to get as much as we need.

There are other ways we can get the vitamin D we need through our diet. Foods such as oily fish, red meat, liver, egg yolks and fortified foods contain vitamin D. Supplements are also a good way to keep your vitamin D levels up throughout the winter.

This time of year can be particularly difficult for those who suffer with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Lack of sunlight

In winter we have much less sunlight, with shorter days and rainy or frosty weather, we don’t get nearly as much this time of year as we do in the spring and summer months.

Sunlight helps to affect our mood positively. As sunlight passes through the eye, it affects parts of the retina which trigger serotonin production.

Serotonin helps to improve our mood and allow us to feel calm, therefore, sunlight plays an essential role to helping our mood and explains why lower moods can be more common during winter months.

Colder Weather

Whilst we’re a nation known for complaining when it's too hot, cold weather can negatively affect both our moods and well-being.

When it’s cold it can be harder to get the motivation for physical activity. Maybe you’re someone who enjoys walks or runs outdoors? It’s much harder to do that when it’s cold and icy outside or dark by 4:30pm.

If we’re not able to do the physical activity we enjoy or do it as often as we should, this can affect our mood. Especially when physical activity releases endorphins which make us feel good. Research suggests that endorphins are released after at least 30 minutes of exercise.

Cold weather can also affect our mood by affecting our skin. Often changes in weather and particularly cold weather can make our skin feel more dry and tight.

Dry skin can be itchy and uncomfortable which can be difficult to live with. This may make it less appealing to go out and cause us to feel down.

We may tend to socialise less in the winter, short days and bad weather can make it easier to choose to stay indoors, but this can cause social isolation which can lead to a deterioration in mental health.

Respiratory Illnesses

Illnesses spread much easier in the cold, winter months. When more people spend time indoors, it makes it easier for illnesses to spread among people. Certain viruses also thrive in the winter, such as colds and flu, as they survive easier in cold, dry weather.

Suffering with respiratory issues can really take it out of us and cause us to feel low or down, especially if we’re battling an illness for a long time.

Being unwell also means you'll likely socialise less with other people or take part in the activities you usually do, such as exercise, which means your mental health may feel worse.

How to beat the January blues

Whether you’re feeling down in January or know someone who is, you might be wondering how exactly to beat the January blues or improve your mental health in winter in general...

Prioritise socialising

Winter can be a time where people hibernate and potentially become socially isolated.

Socialising is so important to help our mental health and can even help our physical health if it results in us getting outdoors more.

Socialising helps to reduce feelings of loneliness, which can lead to a decline in mental health. People with healthy, positive and supportive relationships are more likely to be happier and healthier.

Being social can also help to reduce stress, provide a sense of belonging and help to improve your brain health. Aiming to socialise often, in an environment you enjoy can help to improve mood.

Exercise

The mental health benefits of exercise are very well known.

A poll by UKActive highlighted that of all participants they interviewed, 54% found mental health benefits as their main motivation for exercise.

Exercise has a strong link to releasing endorphins. Endorphins are released by our body increasing positive feelings of well-being. Exercise works to release endorphins as it reduces the level of the body’s stress hormones.

Exercise also has many other benefits that can link to mental health, for example:

• Improving confidence and self-esteem which can help us to feel better in ourselves
• Improving our sleep, a good sleep pattern and quality sleep links heavily to improving our mental health
• Providing a sense of purpose and reducing isolation, especially when working out with others, taking part in team sports or going to an exercise class.

Find new hobbies

Finding new hobbies during the winter months is a great way to stay motivated and improve your mental health, particularly with creative hobbies.

Several studies have shown that creative hobbies, such as art, writing and music, can reduce and even prevent stress. 

Creative hobbies can also help to provide a sense of purpose, and can be a great motivator to keep busy or a new challenge to occupy your mind.

They may even lead you to be more social or introduce you to a new group of people with similar interests.

Get enough light

We all know how miserable cold and short days can be. Especially if you’ve been at work all day and by the time you’ve finished, it’s dark outside and you don’t feel like doing anything.

If you can, try and get out and enjoy some natural light during the day and especially if it’s a day where the sun comes out in the cold winter months, try to make the most of it! Sunlight increases serotonin levels, making us feel even better without necessarily noticing it.

Eat well

Eating well has strong links with our mental health. 

A balanced diet full of vegetables and nutrients can improve your sense of well-being and mood, as well as boosting energy levels.

Eating well can improve our mood by helping our body produce chemicals that regulate our mood, such as dopamine and serotonin. A healthy diet can also improve our concentration, as many foods are good for our brain health. 

Eating a diet that has high-fibre with fresh fruit and veg, low-fat proteins and avoiding foods with sugars are believed to help regulate melatonin – a hormone that helps to regulate your sleep-wake cycle.

Some important tips to take for a healthy, balanced diet are:

• Eat the right balance of fats. Your brain needs healthy fats to keep working well. They’re found in things such as olive oil, rapeseed oil, nuts, seeds, oily fish, avocados, milk and eggs.
  
  
• Whole grains, fruits and vegetables contain the vitamins and minerals needed to keep our brain and body well.
  
  
• Protein contains an amino acid that our brain uses to regulate our mood, so aim to have protein with every meal.
  
  
• Certain things can affect our mood negatively like caffeine and alcohol, causing sleep problems and affecting our quality of sleep.
  
  

The January blues can be a tough time for many, but it's important to focus on your mind and body to try and prevent negative feelings and help to improve your mental health. 

Most health insurance providers offer mental health support in their policies, along with many other benefits to help live a healthy lifestyle.

If you're ready to consider health insurance and protect your future health, don't hesitate to have a chat with one of our friendly, expert advisers on 01285 864 670.