Blue Monday

Although I was previously familiar with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the type of depression caused by the changes in season that typically occurs in the winter months, it wasn’t until the other day that I was made aware of “Blue Monday”. Announced by a British travel company, supported with research from psychologist Dr. Cliff Arnall, the concept of Blue Monday refers to the third Monday of January as the gloomiest day of the year. Using a formula that accounts for the cold weather, lack of daylight, probable holiday debt, post-holiday letdown, and likely waning motivation toward New Year’s resolutions, this day (1/17 this year); was anointed the most depressing day of the year.

While some of Dr. Arnall’s colleagues were critical of the concept saying, “There is no such thing as 24hr depression”, out of fears that the idea was trivializing depression; I have to say, I think Cliff was on to something! Whether it’s been the frigid temps, sudden drop in social engagement, or my car being off-road due to being T-boned a couple of weeks ago, I’ve found myself a bit gloomy. While the damage to my car was pretty substantial, I’m 100% okay and the woman who hit me is insured and will be covering repairs, the confluence of events and it being Blue Monday caused me to reflect.

Fortunately, it wasn’t grief or regret that arose as I took stock of things , but feelings of gratitude and wonder that resulted. First and foremost; I wasn’t hurt nor was my frequent 4-legged companion Clooney, on board. And, at the risk of sounding self-congratulatory, I managed to handle the issue without enlisting Mom’s clerical services. I know, as a nearly 40 year old guy, this should be expected, but let’s just say that I’ve set the bar pretty low. And while caused by unfortunate circumstances, I feel like it was a positive interaction I had with the Woman driving the other vehicle. She may have thought it a bit odd that I spent the 10 minutes or so waiting for the police to arrive touting the benefits of minimally processed cat food and providing her samples of RAWZ, but hopefully her cat got a tasty surprise!

Besides the grace of being unscathed, just the fact that I’m able to drive and felt no apprehension waiting for the police response left me grateful. My almost 3 ½ year legally imposed sabbatical from driving after my car accident makes driving all the sweeter now, never mind how fortunate I am to have regained the physical ability to drive. I’m far from a hardened criminal or have an extensive rap sheet, but not having to worry or feeling dread while waiting the police officer’s arrival was nice.

So while my discussion of Blue Monday has bounced around a bit, I promise there is a point; or at least a conclusion that I’ve come to: Although sometimes I catch myself annoyed or griping about the issues that arise, It’s all just life stuff. In the grand scheme of things there really aren’t many bad days, just good days with a few challenging moments.